'.•V  BIS  •  HAKU 


GHFT  OF 


SERMONS 

OF   A 

BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

ADDRESSES  ON  RELIGIOUS  SUBJECTS 


THE  RT.  REV.  SOYEN  SHAKU 

LORD   ABBOT  OP  BNGAKU-JI   AND   KENCHOJI,   KAMAKURA,  JAPAN 


INCLUDING    THE    SUTRA    OF    FORTY-TWO    CHAPTERS 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  JAPANESE  MS  BY 

DAISETZ  TEITARO  SUZUKI 


WITH  PORTRAIT  OF  THE  AUTHOR 


CHICAGO 
THE  OPEN  COURT  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

LONDON   AGENTS 
KBGAN  PAUL,  TRENCH,  TRUBNER  &  Co.,  LTD. 

1906 


&L/+OS 


CARPENT1ER 


COPYRIGHT  BY 

THE  OPEN  COURT  PUBLISHING  Co. 
1906 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE 

THIS  little  work  is  a  collection  of  some  of 
the  lectures  delivered  by  the  Right  Rev- 
erend Soy  en  Shaku,  Lord  Abbot  of  Engaku-ji 
and  Kencho-ji,  Kamakura,  Japan,  during  his 
sojourn  in  this  country,  1905-1906.  He  came 
here  early  in  the  summer  of  1905  and  stayed 
with  friends  on  the  Pacific  coast  until  March  in 
the  following  year.  Lectures  on  Buddhism  were 
frequently  delivered  at  the  request  of  his  hostess, 
Mrs.  Alexander  Russell  of  San  Francisco,  for  the 
benefit  of  her  friends.  He  lectured  on  the  Sutra 
of  Forty-two  Chapters,  and  naturally  chose  the 
texts  for  his  sermons  from  this  most  popular 
among  the  canonical  books.  As  His  Reverence 
did  not  speak  English,  the  burden  of  interpreting 
his  speeches  fell  upon  my  shoulders. 

During  his  stay  on  the  coast,  His  Reverence 
was  occasionally  invited  by  his  countrymen,  scat- 
tered throughout  the  State,  to  such  places  as 
the  Buddhist  Mission  and  the  Japanese  Con- 
sulate in  San  Francisco,  to  Los  Angeles,  Sacra- 
mento, Fresno,  San  Jose,  and  Oakland.  Wher- 
ever he  went,  his  addresses  were  most  enthu- 
siastically received  and  greatly  appreciated  by 

iii 


700065 


iv  TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE 

the  Japanese  residents,  and  by  Americans  when 
his  speeches  were  repeated  in  English. 

In  March,  1906,  the  Right  Reverend  Soyen 
Shaku  crossed  the  continent  to  the  Atlantic 
coast,  visiting  Washington,  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, and  Boston.  Whenever  he  was  asked 
by  his  countrymen  or  by  his  American  friends 
to  speak  on  his  faith,  he  always  acceded  to  their 
wish.  These  addresses  were  added  to  the  ser- 
mons already  under  my  charge,  and  when  His 
Reverence  was  leaving  for  his  European  tour 
towards  the  end  of  April,  he  left  all  the  manu- 
scripts with  me  with  a  view  of  publishing  them 
in  book  form. 

In  going  over  these  documents  critically,  I 
found  that  I  could  not  make  use  of  all  the 
material  as  it  stood;  for  the  talks  during  his 
stay  on  the  Pacific  coast  were  mostly  of  a  very 
informal  nature,  and  a  copy  of  them  prepared 
from  shorthand  notes  needed  a  great  deal  of 
revision;  besides,  some  of  the  talks  were  suited 
only  to  special  audiences  and  adapted  to  their 
peculiar  needs.  So  with  his  permission  I  con- 
densed several  articles  into  one,  while  in  other 
cases  I  selected  a  subject  only  incidentally  or 
cursorily  referred  to  in  several  different  addresses, 
and  made  a  special  essay  of  the  scattered  passages. 
Sometimes  I  found  his  expressions  too  Buddhistic, 
that  is,  too  technical,  and  intelligible  only  to 
those  who  have  made  Buddhism  a  special  study. 
In  such  cases,  I  ^>ut  the  thoughts  in  a  more  con- 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE  v 

ventional  and  comprehensible  form  for  the  benefit 
of  the  American  public.  Again,  when  I  thought 
that  His  Reverence  took  too  much  knowledge 
of  his  subject  for  granted  on  the  part  of  his  audi- 
ence, I  endeavored  to  express  his  thoughts  more 
plainly  and  explicitly. 

In  spite  of  these  alterations  and  the  liberties 
I  have  taken  with  the  manuscripts  of  the  Rev- 
erend Shaku,  these  lectures  remain  a  faithful 
representation  of  the  views  as  well  as  the  style 
of  preaching  of  my  venerable  teacher  and  friend. 

*  *  * 

As  to  the  text  of  the  Sutra  of  Forty-two  Chap- 
ters, I  have  decided  after  much  consideration  to 
incorporate  it  here.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  not 
a  long  sutra,  and  like  the  Dharmapada  it  contains 
many  characteristic  Buddhist  thoughts.  Sec- 
ondly, most  of  the  Reverend  Shaku 's  lectures 
have  a  close  relation  to  the  sutra ;  and  when  they 
are  read  after  the  perusal  of  the  text,  his  stand- 
point as  a  modern  Japanese  representative  of 
Buddhism  will  be  better  understood.  Thirdly, 
being  the  first  Buddhist  literature  introduced 
by  the  first  official  Hindu  missionaries  into  the 
Middle  Kingdom  (A.  D.  67),  the  sutra  has  a  very 
interesting  historical  background. 

*  *  * 

I  have  to  add  that  this  collection  also  contains 
two  articles  and  one  letter  by  the  Reverend 
Shaku,  all  of  which  previously  ^appeared  in  THE 
OPEN  COURT.  The  letter  was  "addressed  to  the 


VI  TRANSLATOR  S   PREFACE 

late  Dr.  John  H.  Barrows  as  a  sort  of  protest 
against  his  lecture  delivered  at  the  Chicago  Uni- 
versity, 1896,  in  which  Dr.  Barrows  unfortunately 
fell  in  line  with  the  popular  misconception  of  the 
spirit  of  Buddhism.  The  two  articles  referred 
to  deal  with  the  problem  of  war  as  seen  from  the 
general  Buddhist  point  of  view ;  and  I  may  remark 
that  the  first  of  the  two  attracted  at  the  time  the 
attention  of  such  an  eminent  thinker  of  our  day 
as  Count  Leo  Tolstoy  and  was  alluded  to  in  his 
famous  anti-war  declaration. 

DAISETZ  TEITARO  SUZUKI. 
La  Salle,  III.,  1906. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface iii 

The  Sutra  of  Forty-two  Chapters 3 

The  God-Conception 25 

Assertions  and  Denials 37 

Immortality 53 

Buddhist  Faith          62 

Buddhist  Ethics 69 

What  is  Buddhism? 79 

The  Middle  Way 90 

The  Wheel  of  the  Good  Law         101 

The  Phenomenal  and  the  Supra-phenomenal       .      .      .  1 1 1 

Reply  to  a  Christian  Critic 121 

Ignorance  and  Enlightenment 126 

Spiritual  Enlightenment 132 

Practice  of  Dhyana 146 

Kwannon  Bosatz 160 

Buddhism  and  Oriental  Culture           ......  170 

The  Story  of  Deer  Park      .      .      .^ 182 

The  Story  of  the  Gem-Hunting 186 

The  Sacrifice  for  a  Stanza 189 

Buddhist  View  of  War 193 

At  the  Battle  of  Nan-Shan  Hill 198 

A  Memorial  Address 204 

Index 215 

7 


THE   SUTRA  OF   FORTY-TWO  CHAPTERS 


THE  SUTRA  OF   FORTY-TWO  CHAPTERS1 

HAVING  attained   Buddhahood,  the  World- 
honored  One  thought  thus:     "To  be  free 
from  the  passions  and  to  be  calm,  this  is  the 
most  excellent  Way." 


is  the  first  Buddhist  literature  ever  translated  into 
the  Chinese  language.  It  was  brought  into  China  by  the 
first  missionaries  from  Central  India,  A.  D.  67,  who  were 
specially  invited  by  the  Emperor  Ming  of  the  Han  Dynasty. 
Though  some  authorities  think  that  the  sutra  existed  in 
Sanskrit  in  the  present  Chinese  form,  the  most  probable  fact 
is,  as  maintained  by  another  authority,  that  the  translators 
extracted  all  these  passages  from  the  different  Buddhist 
canonical  books  which  they  brought  along  for  their  mis- 
sionary purposes,  and  compiled  them  after  the  fashion  of 
the  Confucian  Analects,  beginning  each  chapter  with  the 
stereotyped  "The  Buddha  said,"  which  corresponds  to  the 
Confucian  "The  Master  said."  This  was  the  most  natural 
thing  for  the  first  Buddhist  workers  from  India  to  do  in  the 
land  of  Confucianism. 

The  sutra,  besides  being  a  collection  of  moral  and  religious 
sayings  of  the  Buddha,  is  interesting  to  us  at  least  in  the 
following  two  points:  (i)  It  throws  some  light  on  the 
development  which  Buddhism  made  in  India  from  the 
Parinirvana  of  Buddha  down  to  the  times  of  these  two 
translators;  and  (2)  it  allows  us  to  see  what  the  first  Buddhist 
propagandists  thought  best  to  introduce,  as  the  most  essen- 

3 


4  SERMONS    BY   A    BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

He  was  absorbed  in  Great  Meditation,1  sub- 
dued all  evil  ones,  and  in  Deer  Park2  caused  to 
revolve  the  Wheel  of  Dharma,  which  was  the 
Fourfold  Truth,3  and  converted  the  five  Bhik- 
shus,4  Kaudinya,  etc.,  inducing  them  to  attain 
Enlightenment.5 

Again,  there  were  other  Bhikshus  who  im- 
plored the  Buddha  to  remove  their  doubts 
which  they  had  concerning  his  doctrine.  The 
World-honored  One  illumined  all  their  minds 
through  his  authoritative  teachings.  The  Bhik- 

tial  doctrines  of  their  faith,  among  the  people  who  had 
hitherto  been  educated  mostly  by  the  Confucians  but  partly 
by  the  Laotzeans. 

The  first  translators  did  not  think  it  wise  to  present  their 
doctrine  systematically  by  writing  a  discourse  or  a  lengthy 
treatise,  as  they  were  wont  to  do  in  their  native  country, 
nor  did  they  think  it  advisable  to  reproduce  an  entire  sutra 
in  the  language  of  their  newly  adopted  country.  On  the 
other  hand,  they  culled  Buddha's  short  sayings  and  dialogues 
from  various  sutras,  imitating  the  general  style  of  the  Con- 
fucian sacred  book  Lun  Yu.  They  must  have  thought  that 
Buddhism,  which  has  so  many  voluminous  canonical  books 
and  deeply  metaphysical  treatises,  would  be  best  promul- 
gated in  China  through  an  anthology,  and  not  through  an 
exact  reproduction  of  the  original  texts.  The  present  sutra 
is  undoubtedly  the  result  of  these  considerations,  and  on 
this  account  it  must  be  said  to  be  well  suited  for  popular 
reading. 

lCf.  "The  Practice  of  Dhyana."     (P.  146.) 
2"The  Story  of  Deer  Park"  is  told  elsewhere.     (P.  182.) 
3This  is  explained  in  the  article  entitled  "The  Wheel  qf 
the  Good  Law."     (P.  101.) 

4Buddhist  monks  are  called  Bhikshus,  literally  "beggars." 
5What   the   Buddhists   understand   by   Enlightenment   is 
explained  in  the  sermons.      (See  p.  132.) 


THE  SUTRA  OP  FORTY-TWO   CHAPTERS  5 

shus,  joining  their  hands  and  reverentially 
bowing,  followed  his  august  instructions. 

(i)  The  Buddha  said:  "Those  who  leave 
their  parents,  go  out  of  the  home,  understand 
the  mind,  reach  the  source,  and  comprehend 
the  immaterial,  are  called  Qramana.1 

"  Those  who  observe  the  two  hundred  and  fifty 
precepts2  of  morality,  who  are  pure  and  spot- 
less in  their  behavior,  and  who  exert  themselves 
for  the  attainment  of  the  four  fruits  of  saint- 
ship,3  are  called  Arhats. 

"The  Arhat  is  able  to  fly  through  space  and 
assume  different  forms;  his  life  is  eternal,  and 
there  are  times  when  he  causes  heaven  and  earth 
to  quake.4 

"  Next  is  the  Anagamin. 5  At  the  end  of  his 
life,  the  spirit  of  the  Anagamin  ascends  to  the 
nineteenth  heaven  and  obtains  Arhatship. 

"  Next  is  the  Skridagamin.8     The  Skridagamin 

'Or  Qramanera,  from  the  root  fram,  "to  exert  oneself," 
"to  make  effort." 

2This  is  fully  explained  in  the  Vinaya  texts  in  the  Sacred 
Books  of  the  East,  Vols.  XIII,  XVII,  XX. 

3The  Arhats,  the  Anagamins,  the  Skridagamins,  the 
Srotapannas.  These  are  explained  below. 

4This  and  the  following  three  passages  seem  to  be  a  gloss, 
incorporated  in  the  text  later  by  a  copyist.  Arhat,  accord- 
ing to  the  traditional  Chinese  interpretation,  means  "one 
who  kills  robbers,"  that  is,  the  robbers  of  passion  and 
prejudice. 

5Anagamin  means  "one  who  never  returns."  The  nine- 
teenth heaven  is  called  Akanishtha,  the  highest  in  the  world 
of  form  (rfipaloka). 

6Skridagamin  means  "one  who  comes  back.'! 


6  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

ascends  to  the  heavens  [after  his  death],  eomes 
back  to  the  earth  once  more,  and  then  attains 
Arhatship. 

"  Next  is  the  Srotaapanna.1  The  Srotaapanna 
dies  seven  times  and  is  born  seven  times,  when 
he  finally  attains  Arhatship. 

"By  the  severance  of  the  passions  is  meant 
that  like  the  limbs  severed  they  are  never  again 
made  use  of." 

(2)  The    Buddha   said:     "The   homeless    Qra- 
mana    cuts    off    the    passions,    frees    himself    of 
attachments,  understands  the  source  of  his  own 
mind,  penetrates  the  deepest  doctrine  of  Buddha, 
and  comprehends  the  Dharma  which  is  immaterial. 
He  has  no  prejudice  in  his  heart,  he  has  nothing 
to  hanker  aftei.     He  is  not  hampered  by  the 
thought  of  the  Way,  nor  is  he  entangled  in  karma. 
No  prejudice,   no  compulsion,   no  discipline,   no 
enlightenment,    and   no   going   up    through    the 
grades,   and  yet  in  possession  of  all  honors  in 
itself,— this  is  called  the  Way." 

(3)  The   Buddha  said:     "Those  who  shaving 
their  heads  and  faces  become  Qramanas  and  who 
receive  instruction  in  the  Way,  should  surrender 
all   worldly  possessions   and  be   contented  with 
whatever  they  obtain  by  begging.2     One  meal  a 
day  and  one  lodging  under  a  tree,  and  neither 
should  be  repeated.     For  what  makes  one  stupid 
and  irrational  is  attachments  and  the  passions." 

'Srotaapanna  means  "one  who  gets  in  the  stream.'! 
3Cf.  Luke,  xii,  33  et  seq. 


THE   SUTRA  OF   FORTY-TWO   CHAPTERS  7 

(4)  The  Buddha  said:     "There  are  ten  things 
considered  good  by  all  beings,   and  ten  things 
evil.     What  are  they?     Three  of  them  depend 
upon  the  body,  four  upon  the  mouth,  and  three 
upon  thought. 

"Three  evil  deeds  depending  upon  the  body 
are:  killing,  stealing,  and  committing  adultery. 
The  four  depending  upon  the  mouth  are:  slan- 
dering, cursing,  lying,  and  flattery.  The  three 
depending  upon  thought  are:  envy,  anger,  and 
infatuation.  All  these  things  are  against  the 
Holy  Way,  and  therefore  they  are  evil. 

"When  these  evils  are  not  done,  there  are  ten 
good  deeds." 

(5)  The   Buddha  said:     "If  a  man  who  has 
committed  many  a  misdemeanor  does  not  repent 
and  cleanse  his  heart  of  the  evil,  retribution  will 
come  upon  his  person  as  sure  as  the  streams  run 
into  the  ocean  which  becomes  ever  deeper  and 
wider. 

"  If  a  man  who  has  committed  a  misdemeanor 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  it,  reform  himself, 
and  practise  goodness,  the  force  of  retribution 
will  gradually  exhaust  itself  as  a  disease  gradu- 
ally loses  its  baneful  influence  when  the  patient 
perspires." 

(6)  The   Buddha  said:     "When  an  evil-doer, 
seeing  you  practise  goodness,   comes  and   mali- 
ciously insults  you,  you  should  patiently  endure 
it  and  not  feel  angry  with  him,  for  the  evil-doer 
is  insulting  himself  by  trying  to  insult  you." 


8        SERMONS  OP  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

(7)  The   Buddha   said:     "Once   a   man   came 
unto  me  and  denounced  me  on  account  of  my 
observing  the  Way  and  practising  great  loving- 
kindness.     But  I  kept  silent  and  did  not  answer 
him.     The   denunciation   ceased.     I    then   asked 
him,   'If  you  bring  a  present  to  your  neighbor 
and  he  accepts  it  not,   does  the  present  come 
back  to  you?'     The  man  replied,    'It  will.'     I 
said,  'You  denounce  me  now,  but  as  I  accept  it, 
not,   you  must  take   the  wrong   deed  back   on 
your   own   person.     It   is    like    echo    succeeding 
sound,  it  is  like  shadow  following  object;    you 
never  escape  the  effect  of  your  own  evil  deeds. 
Be  therefore  mindful,  and  cease  from  doing  evil.' ': 

(8)  The   Buddha   said:     "Evil-doers  who   de- 
nounce  the  wise  resemble   a  person  who   spits 
against  the  sky;   the  spittle  will  never  reach  the 
sky,    but   comes    down   on    himself.     Evil-doers 
again  resemble  a  man  who  stirs  the  dust  against 
the  wind;  the  dust  is  never  raised  without  doing 
him  injury.     Thus,  the  wise  will  never  be  hurt, 
but  the  curse  is  sure  to  destroy  the  evil-doers 
themselves." 

(9)  The  Buddha  said:     "If  you  endeavor  to 
embrace  the  Way  through  much  learning,   the 
Way  will   not  be  understood.     If  you  observe 
the  Way  with  simplicity  of  heart,  great  indeed 
is  this  Way." 

(10)  The   Buddha  said:     "Those  who  rejoice 
in   seeing   others   observe  the  Way  will   obtain 
great  blessing."     A  Qramana  asked  the  Buddha, 


THE   SUTRA   OF   FORTY-TWO   CHAPTERS  9 

"Would  this  blessing  ever  be  destroyed?"  The 
Buddha  said,  "It  is  like  a  lighted  torch  whose 
flame  can  be  distributed  to  ever  so  many  other 
torches  which  people  may  bring  along;  and 
therewith  they  will  cook  food  and  dispel  dark- 
ness, while  the  original  torch  itself  remains  burn- 
ing ever  the  same  It  is  even  so  with  the  bliss 
of  the  Way." 

(n)  The  Buddha  said:  "It  is  better  to  feed 
one  good  man  than  to  feed  one  hundred  bad  men. 
It  is  better  to  feed  one  who  observes  the  five 
precepts  of  Buddha  than  to  feed  one  thousand 
good  men.  It  is  better  to  feed  one  Srotaapanna 
than  to  feed  ten  thousands  of  those  who  observe 
the  five  precepts  of  Buddha.  It  is  better  to 
feed  one  Skridagamin  than  to  feed  one  million 
of  Srotaapannas.  It  is  better  to  feed  one 
Anagamin  than  to  feed  ten  millions  of  Skrida- 
gamins.  It  is  better  to  feed  one  Arhat  than  to 
feed  one  hundred  millions  of  Anagamins.  It  is 
better  to  feed  one  Pratyekabuddha  than  to  feed 
one  billion  of  Arhats.  It  is  better  to  feed  one  of 
the  Buddhas,  either  of  the  present,  or  of  the 
past,  or  of  the  future,  than  to  feed  ten  billions 
of  Pratyekabuddhas.  It  is  better  to  feed  one 
who  is  above  knowledge,  onesidedness,  discipline, 
and  enlightenment  than  to  feed  one  hundred 
billions  of  Buddhas  of  the  past,  present,  or 
future."1 

'This  seems  to  be  a  very  sweeping  assertion  on  the  part 
of  the  Buddha,  but  the  principle  remains  ever  true.     The 


10  SERMONS   OP  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

(12)  The  Buddha  said:  "There  are  twenty 
difficult  things  to  attain  [or  to  accomplish]  in 
this  world:  (i)  It  is  difficult  for  the  poor  to 
practise  charity;  (2)  It  is  difficult  for  the  strong 
and  rich  to  observe  the  Way;1  (3)  It  is  difficult 
to  disregard  life  and  go  to  certain  death;  (4)  It 
is  only  a  favored  few  that  get  acquainted  with  a 
Buddhist  sutra;  (5)  It  is  by  rare  opportunity 
that  a  person  is  born  in  the  age  of  Buddha; 
(6)  It  is  difficult  to  conquer  the  passions,  to 
suppress  selfish  desires;  (7)  It  is  difficult  not  to 
hanker  after  that  which  is  agreeable;  (8)  It  is 
difficult  not  to  get  into  a  passion  when  slighted; 

(9)  It  is  difficult  not  to  abuse  one's  authority; 

(10)  It  is  difficult  to  be  even-minded  and  simple- 
hearted  in  all  one's  dealings  with  others;    (u) 
It  is  difficult  to  be  thorough  in  learning  and 
exhaustive  in  investigation;     (12)   It  is  difficult 
to  subdue  selfish  pride;    (13)   It  is  difficult  not 
to  feel  contempt  toward  the  unlearned;    (14)  It 
is  difficult  to  be  one  in  knowledge  and  practice; 
(15)  It  is  difficult  not  to  express  an  opinion  about 
others;2    (16)  It  is  by  rare  opportunity  that  one 

fundamental  fact  of  the  religious  life  is  purity  of  heart.  If 
there  is  a  dark  corner  in  your  heart,  all  that  you  do  is  hypoc- 
risy. When  the  Emperor  Wu  of  Liang  saw  Bodhidharma,  he 
asked  the  saint,  "I  have  built  so  many  monasteries,  I  have 
converted  so  many  souls,  I  have  copied  so  many  sacred 
sutras;  now  what  does  Your  Holiness  think  my  merit  will 
be?"  To  this,  Bodhidharma  made  a  curt  response,  "No 
merit  whatever." 

>Cf.  Matt,  xix,  24.  2Cf.  Matt,  vii,  i,  2. 


THE   SUTRA   OF   FORTY-TWO   CHAPTERS          II 

is  introduced  to  a  true  spiritual  teacher;  (17)  It 
is  difficult  to  gain  an  insight  into  the  nature  of 
being  and  to  practise  the  Way;  (18)  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  follow  the  steps  of  a  savior;  (19)  It  is 
difficult  to  be  always  the  master  of  oneself; 
(20)  It  is  difficult  to  understand  thoroughly  the 
Ways  of  Buddha." 

(13)  A    monk    asked    the    Buddha:     "Under 
what  conditions   is  it  possible  to  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  past  and  to  understand  the 
most  supreme  Way  ? ' '     The  Buddha  said :  ' '  Those 
who  are  pure  in   heart  and   single  in    purpose 
are  able  to  understand  the  most  supreme  Way. 
It  is  like  polishing  a  mirror,  which  becomes  bright 
when  the  dust  is  removed.     Remove  your  pas- 
sions, and  have  no  hankering,  and  the  past  will 
be  revealed  unto  you." 

(14)  A  monk  asked  the  Buddha:     "What  is 
good,    and   what   is   great?"     The    Buddha   an- 
swered:   "Good  is  to  practise  the  Way  and  to 
follow  the  truth.     Great  is  the  heart  that  is  in 
accord  with  the  Way." 

(15)  A  monk  asked  the  Buddha:     "What  is 
most    powerful,    and    what    is    most    illuminat- 
ing?"    The   Buddha  said:     "Meekness  is  most 
powerful,  for  it  harbors  no  evil  thoughts,  and, 
moreover,   it    is    restful    and    full    of    strength. 
As  it  is  free  from  evils,  it  is  sure  to  be  honored 
by  all.1 

"The  most  illuminating  is  a  mind  which  is 

Watt,  v,  5. 


12       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

thoroughly  cleansed  of  dirt,  and  which,  remain- 
ing pure,  retains  no  blemishes.  From  the  time 
when  there  was  yet  no  heaven  and  earth  till  the 
present  day,  there  is  nothing  in  the  ten  quarters 
which  is  not  seen,  or  known,  or  heard  by  such  a 
mind,  for  it  has  gained  all-knowledge,  and  for 
that  reason  it  is  called  'illuminating." 

(16)  The    Buddha    said:     " Those    who    have 
passions   are  never  able  to  perceive  the  Way; 
for  it  is  like  stirring  up  clear  water  with  hands; 
people  may  come  there  wishing  to  find  a  reflec- 
tion  of  their  faces,   which,   however,   they  will 
never  see.     A  mind  troubled  and  vexed  with  the 
passions  is  impure,  and  on  that  account  it  never 
sees  the  Way.     O  monks,  do  away  with  passions. 
When  the  dirt  of  passion  is  removed  the  Way 
will  manifest  itself." 

(17)  The  Buddha  said:     "Seeing  the  Way  is 
like  going  into  a  dark  room  with  a  torch;    the 
darkness  instantly  departs,  while  the  light  alone 
remains.     When  the  Way  is   attained  and  the 
truth  is  seen,  ignorance  vanishes  and  enlighten- 
ment abides  forever." 

(18)  The   Buddha   said:     "My  doctrine  is  to 
think  the  thought  that  is  unthinkable,  to  prac- 
tise the  deed  that  is   not-doing,   to   speak  the 
speech  that  is  inexpressible,  and  to  be  trained  in 
the  discipline  that  is  beyond  discipline.     Those 
who  understand  this  are  near,  those  who  are  con- 
fused are  far.     The  Way  is  beyond  words  and 
expressions,  is  bound  by  nothing  earthly.     Lose 


THE   SUTRA   OF    FORTY-TWO    CHAPTERS  13 

sight  of  it  to  an  inch,  or  miss  it  for  a  moment, 
and  we  are  away  from  it  forevermore." 

(19)  The  Buddha  said:     "Look  up  to  heaven 
and  down  on  earth,  and  they  will  remind  you 
of  their  impermanency.     Look  about  the  world, 
and   it   will   remind   you   of   its   impermanency. 
But  when  you  gain  spiritual  enlightenment,  you 
shall   then   find   wisdom.     The    knowledge   thus 
attained  leads  you  anon  to  the  Way." 

(20)  The    Buddha   said:     "You   should   think 
of  the  four  elements1  of  which  the  body  is  com- 
posed.    Each  of  them  has  its  own  name,   and 
there  is  no  such  thing  there  known  as  ego.     As 
there  is  really  no  ego,  it  is  like  unto  a  mirage."2 

(21)  The    Buddha    said:     "Moved    by    their 
selfish  desires,  people  seek  after  fame  and  glory. 
But  when  they  have  acquired  it,  they  are  already 
stricken  in  years.     If  you  hanker  after  worldly 
fame  and  practise  not  the  Way,  your  labors  are 
wrongfully  applied  and  your  energy  is  wasted. 
It  is  like  unto  burning  an  incense  stick.     How- 
ever much  its  pleasing  odor  be  admired,  the  fire 
that  consumes  is  steadily  burning  up  the  stick." 

(22)  The    Buddha    said:     "People    cleave    to 
their  worldly  possessions  and  selfish  passions  so 

'Earth,  water,  fire,  and  air. 
2  A  Japanese  poet  sings : 

"When  pulled  together 

And  bound,  there  stands 

A  hut  well  thatched : 

But  take  it  apart, 

And  we  have  the  wilderness  eternal." 


14  SERMONS    OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

blindly  as  to  sacrifice  their  own  lives  for  them. 
They  are  like  a  child  who  tries  to  eat  a  little 
honey  smeared  on  the  edge  of  a  knife.  The 
amount  is  by  no  means  sufficient  to  appease  his 
appetite,  but  he  runs  the  risk  of  wounding  his 
tongue." 

(23)  The  Buddha  said:     "Men  are  tied  up  to 
their    families    and    possessions    more    helplessly 
than  in  a  prison.     There  is  an  occasion  for  the 
prisoner  to  be  released,  but  householders  enter- 
tain no  desire  to  be  relieved  from  the  ties  of 
family.     When  a  man's  passion  is  aroused  noth- 
ing prevents   him   from   ruining   himself.     Even 
into  the  maws  of  a  tiger  will  he  jump.     Those 
who  are  thus  drowned  in  the  filth  of  passion  are 
called    the    ignorant.     Those    who    are    able    to 
overcome  it  are  saintly  Arhats." 

(24)  The  Buddha  said :     "  There  is  nothing  like 
lust.     Lust  may  be  said  to  be  the  most  powerful 
passion.     Fortunately,    we   have   but   one   thing 
which  is  more  powerful.     If  the  thirst  for  truth 
were  weaker  than  passion,  how  many  of  us  in  the 
world  would  be  able  to  follow  the  way  of  right- 
eousness?" 

(25)  The     Buddha    said:      "Men     who     are 
addicted    to    the    passions    are    like    the    torch- 
carrier  running  against  the  wind;    his  hands  are 
sure  to  be  burned." 

(26)  The  Lord  of  Heaven  offered  a  beautiful 
fairy  to  the  Buddha,  desiring  to  tempt  him  to  the 
evil   path.     But   the   Buddha   said,    "Be   gone. 


THE   SUTRA   OF    FORTY-TWO   CHAPTERS  1$ 

What  use  have  I  for  the  leather  bag  filled  with 
filth  which  you  have  brought  to  me?"  Then, 
the  god  reverently  bowed  and  asked  the  Buddha 
about  the  essence  of  the  Way,  in  which  having 
been  instructed  by  the  Buddha,  it  is  said,  he 
attained  the  Srotaapanna-fruit. 

(27)  The  Buddha  said:     "Those  who  are  fol- 
lowing the  Way  should  behave  like  a  piece  of 
timber  which  is  drifting  along  a  stream.     If  the 
log  is  neither  held  by  the  banks,  nor  seized  by 
men,  nor  obstructed  by  the  gods,  nor  kept  in 
the  whirlpool,  nor  itself  goes  to  decay,  I  assure 
you  that  this  log  will  finally  reach  the  ocean. 
If  monks  walking  on  the  Way  are  neither  tempted 
by   the  passions,    nor  led   astray  by  some   evil 
influences,  but  steadily  pursue  their  course  for 
Nirvana,    I   assure   you   that   these   monks   will 
finally  attain  enlightenment." 

(28)  The  Buddha  said:     "Rely  not  upon  your 
own   will.     Your   own   will   is   not   trustworthy. 
Guard    yourselves     against    sensualism,    for     it 
surely  leads  to  the  path  of  evil.     Your  own  will 
becomes     trustworthy     only     when     you     have 
attained  Arhatship." 

(29)  The  Buddha  said:     "O  monks,  you  should 
not   see  women.1     [If  you   should   have   to   see 
them],    refrain   from   talking   to   them.     [If   you 
should  have  to  talk],  you  should  reflect  in  a  right 
spirit:    'I   am   now  a  homeless  mendicant.     In 
the  world  of  sin,  I  must  behave  myself  like  unto 

lMatt.  v,  28. 


l6  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

the  lotus  flower  whose  purity  is  not  defiled  by 
the  mud.  Old  ones  I  will  treat  as  my  mother; 
elderly  ones  as  elder  sisters;  younger  ones  as 
younger  sisters;  and  little  ones  as  daughters.* 
And  in  all  this  you  should  harbor  no  evil  thoughts, 
but  think  of  salvation." 

(30)  The  Buddha  said:     "Those  who  walk  in 
the  Way  should  avoid  sensualism  as  those  who 
carry  hay  would  avoid  coming  near  the  fire." 

(31)  The   Buddha  said:     "There  was  once  a 
man  who,  being  in  despair  over  his  inability  to 
control  his  passions,  wished  to  mutilate  himself.1 
The  Buddha  said  to  him:    'Better  destroy  your 
own  evil  thoughts  than  do  harm  to  your  own 
person.     The  mind  is  lord.     When  the  lord  him- 
self is  calmed  the  servants  will  of  themselves  be 
yielding.     If  your  mind  is  not  cleansed  of  evil 
passions,  what  avails  it  to  mutilate  yourself?" 
Thereupon,  the  Buddha  recited  the  gatha, 

"  Passions  grow  from  the  will, 
The  will  grows  from  thought  and  imagination : 
When  both  are  calmed, 
There  is  neither  sensualism  nor  transmigration." 

The  Buddha  said,  this  gatha  was  taught  before 
by  Kashyapabuddha. 

(32)  The  Buddha  said:     "From  the  passions 
arise  worry,  and  from  worry  arises  fear.     Away 
with  the  passions,  and  no  fear,  no  worry." 

(33)  The    Buddha   said:     "Those   who   follow 
*Matt.  v,  29  and  30, 


THE  SUTRA  OF  FORTY-TWO  CHAPTERS     17 

the  Way  are  like  unto  warriors  who  fight  single- 
handed  with  a  multitude  of  foes.  They  may  all 
go  out  of  the  fort  in  full  armor;  but  among  them 
are  some  who  are  faint-hearted,  and  some  who 
go  halfway  and  beat  a  retreat,  and  some  who  are 
killed  in  the  affray,  and  some  who  come  home 
victorious.  O  monks,  if  you  desire  to  attain 
enlightenment,  you  should  steadily  walk  in  your 
Way,  with  a  resolute  heart,  with  courage,  and 
should  be  fearless  in  whatever  environment  you 
may  happen  to  be,  and  destroy  every  evil  influ- 
ence that  you  may  come  across;  for  thus  you 
shall  reach  the  goal." 

(34)  One  night  a  monk  was  reciting  a  sutra 
bequeathed  by  Kashyapabuddha.  His  tone  was 
so  mournful,  and  his  voice  so  fainting,  as  if  he 
were  going  out  of  existence.  The  Buddha  asked 
the  monk,  "What  was  your  occupation  before 
you  became  a  homeless  monk?"  Said  the  monk, 
"I  was  very  fond  of  playing  the  guitar."  The 
Buddha  said,  "  How  did  you  find  it  when  the 
strings  were  too  loose?"  Said  the  monk,  "No 
sound  is  possible."  "How  when  the  strings 
were  too  tight?"  "They  crack."  "How  when 
they  were  neither  too  tight  nor  too  loose?" 
"Every  note  sounds  in  its  proper  tone."  The 
Buddha  then  said  to  the  monk,  "Religious  disci- 
pline is  also  like  unto  playing  the  guitar.  When 
the  mind  is  properly  adjusted  and  quietly  applied, 
the  Way  is  attainable;  but  when  you  are  too 
fervently  bent  on  it,  your  body  grows  tired;  and 


1 8       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

when  your  body  is  tired,  your  spirit  becomes 
weary;  when  your  spirit  is  weary,  your  discipline 
will  relax;  and  with  the  relaxation  of  discipline 
there  follows  many  an  evil.  Therefore,  be  calrri 
and  pure,  and  the  Way  will  be  gained." 

(35)  The  Buddha  said:     "When  a  man  makes 
utensils   out  of  a  metal  which  has  been  thor- 
oughly  cleansed   of   dross,    the   utensils   will  be 
excellent.     You  monks,  who  wish  to  follow  the 
Way,  make  your  own  hearts  clean  from  the  dirt 
of  evil  passion,  and  your  conduct  will  be  unim- 
peachable." 

(36)  The  Buddha  said:     "Even  if  one  escapes 
from  the  evil  creations,  it  is  one's  rare  fortune 
to  be  born  as  a  human  being.     Even  if  one  be 
born  as  human,   it  is  one's  rare  fortune  to  be 
born  as  a  man  and   not  a  woman.1     Even  if 
one  be  born  a  man,  it  is  one's  rare  fortune  to  be 
perfect  in  all  the  six  senses.     Even  if  he  be  per- 
fect in  all  the  six  senses,  it  is  his  rare  fortune  to 
be  born  in  the  middle  kingdom.     Even  if  he  be 
born  in  the  middle  kingdom,  it  is  his  rare  fortune 
to  be  born  in  the  time  of  a  Buddha.     Even  if  he 
be  born  in  the  time  of  a  Buddha,  it  is  his  rare 
fortune  to  see  the  enlightened.     Even  if  he  be 
able  to  see  the  enlightened,  it  is  his  rare  fortune 
to  have  his  heart  awakened  in  faith.     Even  if 
he  have  faith,  it  is  his  rare  fortune  to  awaken 
the  heart  of  intelligence.     Even  if  he  awakens 
the  heart  of  intelligence,  it  is  his  rare  fortune  to 

»Cf.  I  Cor.  xi,  3,  7,  8,  9. 


THE   SUTRA   OF   FORTY-TWO   CHAPTERS          19 

realize  a  spiritual  state  which  is  above  discipline 
and  attainment." 

(37)  The  Buddha  said:     "O  children  of  Bud- 
dha!    You   are   away   from   me   ever   so   many 
thousand  miles,  but  if  you  remember  and  think 
of  my  precepts,  you  shall  surely  gain  the  fruit 
of  enlightenment.     You  may,   standing  by  my 
side,  see  me  alway,  but  if  you  observe  not  my 
precepts,  you  shall  never  gain  enlightenment." 

(38)  The   Buddha   asked   a  monk,    "How  do 
you  measure  the  length  of  a  man's  life?"     The 
monk  answered,  "By  days."     The  Buddha  said, 
"You  do  not  understand  the  Way." 

The  Buddha  asked  another  monk,  "  How  do 
you  measure  the  length  of  a  man's  life?"  The 
monk  answered,  "  By  the  time  that  passes  during 
a  meal."  The  Buddha  said,  "You  do  not  under- 
stand the  Way." 

The  Buddha  asked  a  third  monk,  "How  do 
you  measure  the  length  of  a  man's  life?"  The 
monk  answered,  "By  the  breath."  The  Buddha 
said,  "Very  well,  you  know  the  Way." 

(39)  The  Buddha  said,  "Those  who  study  the 
doctrine  of  the  Buddhas  will  do  well  to  believe 
and  observe  all  that  is  taught  by  them.      It  is 
like  unto  honey;    it  is  sweet  within,  it  is  sweet 
without,  it  is  sweet  throughout;    so  is  the  Bud- 
dhas' teaching." 

(40)  The  Buddha  said:     "O  monks,  you  must 
not  walk  on  the  Way  as  the  ox  that  is  attached 
to  the  wheel.     His  body  moves,  but  his  heart  is 


20  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

not  willing.  But  when  your  hearts  are  in  accord 
with  the  Way,  there  is  no  need  of  troubling 
yourselves  about  your  outward  demeanor." 

(41)  The  Buddha  said:     "Those  who  practise 
the  Way  might  well  follow  the  example  of  an  ox 
that  marches  through  the  deep  mire  carrying  a 
heavy  load.     He  is  tired,  but  his  steady  gaze, 
looking  forward,  will  never  relax  until  he  come 
out  of  the  mire,  and  it  is  only  then  that  he  takes 
a   respite.     O    monks,    remember   that   passions 
and  sins  are  more  than  the  filthy  mire,  and  that 
you  can   escape  misery  only  by  earnestly  and 
steadily  thinking  of  the  Way." 

(42)  The  Buddha  said:     "I  consider  the  dig- 
nities of  kings  and  lords  as  a  particle  of  dust 
that    floats    in    the    sunbeam.     I    consider    the 
treasure  of  precious  metals  and  stones  as  bricks 
and    pebbles.     I    consider    the    gaudy    dress    of 
silks  and  brocades  as  a  worn-out  rag.     I  consider 
this  universe  as  small  as  the  holila  (?)  fruit.     I 
consider  the  lake  of    Anavatapta  as  a  drop  of 
oil  with  which  one  smears  the  feet.     I  consider 
the  various  methods  of  salvation  taught  by  the 
Buddhas  as  a  treasure  created  by  the  imagination. 
I  consider  the   transcendental   doctrine  of   Bud- 
dhism as  precious  metal  or  priceless  fabric  seen 
in  a  dream.     I  consider  the  teaching  of  Buddhas 
as  a  flower  before  my  eyes.     I  consider  the  prac- 
tice of  Dhyana  as  a  pillar  supporting  the  Mount 
Sumeru.     I  consider  Nirvana  as  awakening  from 
a  day  dream  or  nightmare.     I  consider  the  strug- 


THE  SUTRA  OF  FORTY-TWO  CHAPTERS         21 

gle  between  heterodox  and  orthodox  as  the 
antics  of  the  six  [mythical]  dragons.  I  consider 
the  doctrine  of  sameness  as  the  absolute  ground 
of  reality.  I  consider  all  the  religious  works 
done  for  universal  salvation  as  like  the  plants 
in  the  four  seasons." 


SERMONS 


THE  GOD-CONCEPTION  OF  BUDDHISM1 

AMONG  the  many  critical  opinions  which 
are  passed  upon  Buddhism  by  Christian 
or  Western  scholars,  there  are  two  which  stand 
out  most  conspicuously  and  most  persistently. 
One  of  them  declares  that  Buddhism  is  a  religion 
which  denies  the  existence  of  the  soul,  and  the 
other  that  it  is  atheistic  or  at  best  pantheistic, 
which  latter  term  implies  what  is  practically 
tantamount  to  the  rejection  of  a  God,  that  is, 
a  personal  God  as  believed  in  by  the  Christians. 
The  object  of  this  discourse  is  to  see  to  what 
extent  the  second  criticism  is,  if  at  all,  justifiable. 
In  other  words,  I  propose  here  to  elucidate  the 
Buddhist  conception  of  God. 

At  the  outset,  let  me  state  that  Buddhism  is 
not  atheistic  as  the  term  is  ordinarily  under- 
stood. It  has  certainly  a  God,  the  highest 
reality  and  truth,  through  which  and  in  which 
this  universe  exists.  However,  the  followers  of 
Buddhism  usually  avoid  the  term  God,  for  it 
savors  so  much  of  Christianity,  whose  spirit  is 

1It  may  be  interesting  for  our  readers  to  read  in  connec- 
tion with  this  article  Dr.  Paul  Carus's  Buddhist  story  entitled 
Amitdbha. 

25 


26  SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST    ABBOT 

not  always  exactly  in  accord  with  the  Buddhist 
interpretation  of  religious  experience.  Again, 
Buddhism  is  not  pantheistic  in  the  sense  that  it 
identifies  the  universe  with  God.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Buddhist  God  is  absolute  and  tran- 
scendent; this  world,  being  merely  its  manifes- 
tation, is  necessarily  fragmental  and  imperfect. 
To  define  more  exactly  the  Buddhist  notion  of 
the  highest  being,  it  may  be  convenient  to  bor- 
row the  term  very  happily  coined  by  a  modern 
German  scholar,  "panen theism,"  according  to 
which  God  is  irav  KO!  f.v  (all  and  one)  and  more 
than  the  totality  of  existence. 

One  of  the  most  fundamental  beliefs  of  Bud- 
dhism is  that  all  the  multitudinous  and  multi- 
farious phenomena  in  the  universe  start  from, 
and  have  their  being  in,  one  reality  which  itself 
has  "no  fixed  abode,"  being  above  spatial  and 
temporal  limitations.  However  different  and 
separate  and  irreducible  things  may  appear  to 
the  senses,  the  most  profound  law  of  the  human 
mind  declares  that  they  are  all  one  in  their 
hidden  nature.  In  this  world  of  relativity,  or 
ndndtva  as  Buddhists  call  it,  subject  and  object, 
thought  and  nature,  are  separate  and  distinct, 
and  as  far  as  our  sense-experience  goes,  there  is 
an  impassable  chasm  between  the  two  which  no 
amount  of  philosophizing  can  bridge.  But  the 
very  constitution  of  the  mind  demands  a  unify- 
ing principle  which  is  an  indispensable  hypothesis 
for  our  conception  of  phenomenality ;  and  this 


THE   GOD-CONCEPTION   OF   BUDDHISM  27 

hypothesis  is  called  "the  gate  of  sameness," 
samatd,  in  contradistinction  to  "the  gate  of 
difference,"  nanatva;  and  Buddhism  declares 
that  no  philosophy  or  religion  is  satisfactory 
which  does  not  recognize  these  two  gates.  In 
some  measure  the  "gate  of  sameness"  may  be 
considered  to  correspond  to  "God"  and  the 
"gate  of  difference"  to  the  world  of  individual 
existence. 

Now,  the  question  is,  "How  does  Buddhism 
conceive  the  relation  between  these  two  entrances 
to  the  abode  of  Supreme  Knowledge  (sambodhi)  ? " 
And  the  answer  to  this  decides  the  Buddhist 
attitude  towards  pantheism,  theism,  atheism,  and 
what  not. 

To  state  it  more  comprehensively,  Buddhism 
recognizes  the  coexistence  and  identity  of  the 
two  principles,  sameness  and  difference.  Things 
are  many  and  yet  one;  they  are  one  and  yet 
many.  I  am  not  thou,  and  thou  art  not  I ;  and 
yet  we  are  all  one  in  essence.  When  one  slays 
another,  there  is  an  actor,  an  act,  and  a  sufferer, 
all  distinct  and  separate;  and  yet 

"If  the  red  slayer  think  he  slays, 

Or  if  the  slain  think  he  is  slain, 
They  know  not  well  the  subtle  ways 
I  keep,  and  pass,  and  turn  again." 

Buddhism,  therefore,  says  that  while  we  have 
to  acknowledge  the  world  of  particulars  in  which 
individuality  predominates,  we  must  not  forget 
that  looking  through  the  gate  of  sameness  all 


28       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

distinctions  and  contradictions  vanish  in  a  higher 
principle  of  unity.     A  Japanese  poet  thus  sings: 

"  Rain  and  hail  and  ice  and  snow, 
Neither  like  the  other.  So! 
When  they  melt,  however,  lo, 
See  one  stream  of  water  flow! " 

Intellectually,  the  coexistence  of  the  two 
mutually  excluding  thoughts  is  impossible,  for 
the  proposition,  "Mine  are  not  thine,"  cannot 
be  made  at  the  same  time  the  proposition, 
"Mine  are  thine."  But  here  Buddhism  is  speak- 
ing of  our  inmost  religious  experience,  which 
deals  directly  with  facts  and  not  with  their  more 
or  less  distorted  intellectual  reflections.  It  is, 
therefore,  really  idle  to  say  that  Buddhism  is 
pantheistic  or  atheistic  or  nihilistic.  /Buddhism 
is  not  a  philosophical  system,  though  it  is  the 
most  rational  and  intellectual  religion  in  the 
world./  What  it  proposes  is  to  make  clear  facts 
of  the  deepest  spiritual  life  and  to  formulate  a 
doctrine  which  leads  its  followers  to  the  path  of 
inward  experience. 

Thus,  according  to  the  proclamation  of  an 
enlightened  mind,  God  or  the  principle  of  same- 
ness is  not  transcendent,  but  immanent  in  the 
universe,  and  we  sentient  beings  are  manifesting 
the  divine  glory  just  as  much  as  the  lilies  of  the 
field.  A  God  who,  keeping  aloof  from  his  crea- 
tions, sends  down  his  words  of  command  through 
specially  favored  personages,  is  rejected  by 
Buddhists  as  against  the  constitution  of  human 


THE   GOD-CONCEPTION    OF   BUDDHISM  2Q 

reason.  God  must  be  in  us,  who  are  made  in 
his  likeness.  We  cannot  presume  the  duality  of 
God  and  the  world.  Religion  is  not  to  go  to 
God  by  forsaking  the  world,  but  to  find  him 
in  it.  Our  faith  is  to  believe  in  our  essential 
oneness  with  him,  and  not  in  our  sensual 
separateness.  "God  in  us  and  we  in  him," 
must  be  made  the  most  fundamental  faith  of  all 
religion. 

We  must  not,  however,  suppose  that  God  is 
no  more  than  the  sum-total  of  individual  exist- 
ences. God  exists  even  when  all  creations  have 
been  destroyed  and  reduced  to  a  state  of  chaotic 
barrenness.  God  exists  eternally,  and  he  will 
create  another  universe  out  of  the  ruins  of  this 
one.  To  our  limited  intelligence  there  may  be 
a  beginning  and  an  end  of  the  worlds,  but  as 
God  surveys  them,  being  and  becoming  are  one 
selfsame  process.  To  him  nothing  changes,  or, 
to  state  it  rather  paradoxically,  he  sees  no  change 
whatever  in  all  the  changes  we  have  around  us ; 
all  things  are  absolutely  quiet  in  their  eternal 
cycle  of  birth  and  death,  growth  and  decay, 
combination  and  disintegration.  This  universe 
cannot  exist  outside  of  God,  but  God  is  more 
than  the  totality  of  individual  existences;  God 
is  here  as  well  as  there,  God  is  not  only  this  but 
also  that.  As  far  as  he  is  manifested  in  nature 
and  mind,  they  glorify  him,  and  we  can  have  a 
glimpse  of  his  image  and  feel,  however  imperfectly, 
his  inner  life.  But  it  will  be  a  grievous  error, 


30       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

let  us  repeat,  to  think  that  he  has  exhausted  his 
being  in  the  manifestation  of  this  universe,  that 
he  is  absolutely  identical  with  his  creations, 
and  that  with  the  annihilation  of  the  world  he 
vanishes  into  eternal  emptiness. 

There  is  a  favorite  saying  in  Buddhism  which 
declares  that  "  sameness  without  difference  is 
sameness  wrongly  conceived,  while  difference 
without  sameness  is  difference  wrongly  con- 
ceived"; to  express  this  in  Christian  terms,  "God 
not  in  the  world  is  a  false  God,  and  the  world 
not  in  God  is  unreality."  All  things  return  to 
one,  and  one  operates  in  all  things;  many  in  one 
and  one  in  many;  this  is  the  Buddhist  concep- 
tion of  God  and  the  world.  Billows  and  waves 
and  ripples,  all  surging,  swelling,  and  ebbing, 
and  yet  are  they  not  so  many  different  motions 
of  the  eternally  selfsame  body  of  water?  The 
moon  is  serenely  shining  up  in  the  sky,  and  she 
is  alone  in  all  the  heavens  and  on  the  entire 
earth;  but  when  she  mirrors  herself  in  the  bril- 
liant whiteness  of  the  evening  dews  which  appear 
like  glittering  pearls  broadcast  upon  the  earth 
from  the  hand  of  a  fairy, — how  wondrously 
numerous  her  images!  And  is  not  every  one  of 
them  complete  in  its  own  fashion?  This  is  the 
way  in  which  an  enlightened  mind  contemplates 
God  and  the  world. 

God  is  immanent  in  the  world  and  not  outside 
of  it;  therefore,  when  we  comprehend  the  secret 
of  the  ''little  flower  in  the  crannied  wall,"  we 


THE   GOD-CONCEPTION    OF    BUDDHISM  31 

know  the  reason  of  this  universe.  Reason  is  the 
inner  life  of  all  beings,  it  is  the  subjectivity  of 
existence,  it  is  the  quickening  spirit  of  all  creation, 
it  is  a  realization  in  our  finite  minds  of  infinite 
divinity.  When  we  know  ourselves,  we  know 
heaven  and  earth,  we  know  God,  we  know  every- 
thing and  anything.  We  know  his  presence 
even  in  the  most  insignificant  flower  in  the  field 
which  is  trampled  under  foot  by  men  and  beasts 
carelessly  and  pitilessly,  to  say  nothing  about 
the  starry  heavens  with  their  grandeur  which  is 
replete  with  suggestions,  or  about  the  huge  mass 
of  inert  matter  on  which  mountains  rise,  oceans 
roar,  and  sentient  beings  walk.  When  we  come 
to  realize  this  mysterious  presence  of  the  highest 
reason  in  all  things,  we  are  struck  with  the  fact 
and  there  arise  mingled  feelings  of  awe,  admira- 
tion, and  helplessness,  which  latter  is  strangely 
tinged  with  a  sense  of  self -exaltation.  We  are 
awe-stricken  because  it  is  beyond  our  human 
intelligence  to  grasp  thoroughly  the  scheme  of 
God.  We  admire  it  because  of  the  wonderful 
beauty  and  harmony  which  are  traceable  in  every 
step  of  his,  though  our  imperfect  minds  are  some- 
times set  against  almost  insurmountable  difficul- 
ties in  the  reconciliation  of  contraries  and  oppo- 
sites.  We  feel  helpless  because  our  fragmentary 
consciousness  is  unable  to  review  the  entire  range 
of  divine  operation  and  thus  to  know  the  why 
of  all  these  things,  though  the  recognition  of 
divinity  in  us  lifts  us  above  the  wearisome  con- 


32       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

damnation  piled  upon  humanity  by  some  moral- 
ists and  religionists. 

*  *  * 

Having  thus  expounded  the  Buddhist  concep- 
tion of  God  and  his  relation  to  us,  I  wish  to  pro- 
ceed to  explain  some  terms  which  are  generally 
used  by  Buddhists  to  designate  the  highest  being 
in  its  various  modes  and  phases. 

As  I  mentioned  before,  Buddhists  do  not  make 
use  of  the  term  God,  which  characteristically 
belongs  to  Christian  terminology.  An  equivalent 
most  commonly  used  is  Dharmakaya,  which  word 
has  been  explained  in  one  of  the  sermons  herein 
collected,  and  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  enter 
again  upon  the  discussion  of  its  signification. 
Let  us  only  see  what  other  equivalents  have  been 
adopted. 

When  the  Dharmakaya  is  most  concretely 
conceived  it  becomes  the  Buddha,  or  Tathagata, 
or  Vairochana,  or  Amitabha.  Buddha  means 
"the  enlightened,"  and  this  may  be  understood 
to  correspond  to  "God  is  wisdom."  Vairochana 
is  "coming  from  the  sun,"  and  Amitabha, 
"infinite  light,"  which  reminds  us  of  the  Chris- 
tian notion,  "God  is  light."  As  to  the  correct 
meaning  of  Tathagata,  Buddhists  do  not  give 
any  definite  and  satisfactory  explanation,  and 
it  is  usually  considered  to  be  the  combination  of 
/a/M="thus"  and  gato="gone,"  but  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  find  out  how  "Thus  Gone"  came  to  be 
an  appellation  of  the  supreme  being.  There  are 


THE   GOD-CONCEPTION   OF    BUDDHISM  33 

some  scholars,  however,  who  understand  gata  in 
the  sense  of  ''being  in"  or  "situated  in."  If 
this  be  correct,  Tathagata  meaning  "being  thus," 
or  "being  such,"  can  be  interpreted  in  the  same 
sense  as  Tathata  or  Bhutatathata  or  Tattva  as 
explained  below.  But  in  this  case  Tathagata 
will  lose  its  personification  and  become  a  meta- 
physical term  like  the  others,  though  it  has  been 
so  persistently  used  by  Buddhists  in  connection 
with  the  historical  Buddha  that  it  always  awakens 
in  their  minds  something  more  concrete  and 
personal  than  a  mere  ontological  abstraction. 

Buddhism  is  the  most  speculative  of  all  the 
existing  religions  in  the  world  and  abounds  with 
many  highly  abstract  terms  which  may  sound 
empty  to  ordinary  minds.  Among  them  we  have 
such  words  as  Tathata  (or  Tathatva),  Tattva, 
Bhutatathata,  Bhutakoti,  Qunyata,  Alakshitam, 
Nirvana,  etc.  These  are  all  philosophical  terms 
for  Dharmakaya.  To  explain:  Tathata  or 
tathatva  or  tattva  is  "suchness,"  or  "being 
such,"  and  Buddhist  scholars  assert  that,  strictly 
speaking,  these  terms  alone  rightly  designate 
the  nature  of  the  highest  reality.  When  we 
speak  of  its  absolute  transcendentality,  people 
are  liable  to  take  it  for  an  empty  nothing;  while 
if  we  state  that  it  is  eternally  true  and  real,  they 
may  consider  it  something  concrete  and  particular. 
To  avoid  both  extremes,  or  rather  to  synthesize 
them,  the  term  "Suchness"  has  been  coined; 
but  in  reality  all  human  efforts  are  altogether 


34       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

insufficient  to  express  the  true  nature  of  the 
ultimate.  Says  Ac,vaghosha,  "The  Immortal 
Essence  is  absolutely  beyond  intellectual  demon- 
strability,  but  we  as  rational  beings  need  some 
words  to  express  ourselves,  and  for  that  purpose 
the  term  'suchness'  has  been  selected,  disposing 
of  all  others."  The  words  in  which  Goethe  makes 
Faust  utter  his  feeling  concerning  God  may  here 
be  quoted  also  as  corroborating  Agvaghosha's 
conception  of  Suchness : 

"Who  dare  express  Him? 
And  who  profess  Him, 
Saying:    I  believe  in  Him! 
Who,  feeling,  seeing, 
Deny  this  being, 
Saying:    I  believe  Him  not! 
The  All-enfolding, 
The  All-upholding, 
Folds  and  upholds  He  not 
Thee,  me,  Himself? 

*  *         * 

*  *         * 

Vast  as  it  is,  fill  with  that  force  thy  heart, 

And  when  thou  in  the  feeling  wholly  blessed  art, 

Call  it,  then,  what  thou  wilt, — 

Call  it  Bliss!    Heart!    Love!    God! 

I  have  no  name  to  give  it! 

Feeling  is  all  in  all: 

The  name  is  sound  and  smoke, 

Obscuring  Heaven's  clear  glow." 

When  even  this  Tathatva  is  found  inadequate 
for  certain  purposes,  Buddhists  add  Bhtita= 
reality  thereto  and  coin  the  word  Bhutatathata, 
which  means  "that  which  really  exists  as  such." 
Suchness,  being  an  abstract  term,  may  breed 


THE    GOD-CONCEPTION    OF    BUDDHISM  35 

some  misconception,  when  the  term  is  used 
alone,  on  the  part  of  the  uninitiated.  To  avoid 
this,  "reality"  has  been  prefixed,  which  purposes 
to  make  it  clear  that  the  ultimate  reason  is  not 
an  abstraction,  not  a  mere  subjective  creation, 
but  a  real  objective  (or  rather  transcendental) 
existence.  Bhutakoti  serves  the  same  end,  as 
it  means  the  "highest  point  of  reality,"  or  "the 
real  end  of  things." 

Alakshitam,  Qunyata,  and  Nirvanam  express 
the  negative  phase  of  the  Dharmakaya.  When 
affirmation  alone  is  not  sufficient,  we  frequently 
resort  to  the  negative  way  of  defining  things, 
showing  thereby  at  least  what  they  are  not. 
The  human  mind  cannot  have  a  positively 
adequate  conception  of  things  which  are  beyond 
the  realm  of  conditionality,  for  it  is  bound  up 
within  spatial  and  temporal  relations;  and  in 
order  to  give  expression  to  these  non-conditional 
objects,  we  use  the  negative  method  and  say 
that  they  are  not  such  and  such.  In  innumerable 
ways,  this  negation  is  as  effective  in  defining 
things  as  affirmation. 

When  Buddhists  assert  that  the  Dharmakaya 
is  gunya  ==  empty,  or  alakshana  =  devoid  of  par- 
ticular marks,  or  nirvana  =  emancipating,  or 
na^rava  =  faultless,  they  are  following  the  inevi- 
table course  of  mentation.  All  these  and  some 
other  negative  terms  unfortunately  have  caused 
a  great  deal  of  misunderstanding  on  the  part  of 
unsympathetic  critics  who  have  either  forgotten 


36       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

or  ignored  the  peculiar  proclivity  of  human  reason 
to  onesidedness  and  exclusiveness. 

Lastly,  Paramartha  and  Satya  are  the  terms 
used  to  designate  the  epistemological  phase  of 
the  Dharmakaya.  Paramartha  is  the  first  or 
highest  reason,  and  Satya  is  truth  or  that  which 
truly  is.  And  for  the  psychological  aspect  of  the 
Dharmakaya,  or  as  it  is  manifested  in  the  human 
consciousness,  we  have  Bodhi  or  Hridaya.  Bodhi 
is  the  divine  wisdom  incarnated  in  our  limited 
intelligence,  or  the  divine  love  as  reflected  in  our 
human  sympathy  and  compassion.  Hridaya  is 
the  inner  life  of  existence  which  prompts  and 
quickens  us  to  do  the  will  of  the  Dharmakaya, 
and  which  is  awakened  to  its  full  dignity  and 
glory  when  intelligence  passes  over  the  limits  of 
relativity.  The  reason  why  we  are  able  to  have 
an  insight  into  the  nature  of  the  ultimate  being 
and  to  recognize  the  truth  that  sameness  and 
difference  are  co-existent  and  really  identical,  is 
because  our  Bodhi  or  Hridaya  is  essentially  one 
with  the  Dharmakaya.  When  the  Bodhi  comes 
to  know  itself,  it  also  knows  the  inner  being  of 
Dharmakaya,  however  fragmentary  the  knowledge 
be,  and  we  lie  blissfully  at  rest  in  the  bosom  of 
eternal  motherliness. 


ASSERTIONS  AND   DENIALS 

'"T^HERE  are  two  avenues  leading  to  the 
JL  realization  of  the  Buddhist  life;  one  may 
be  called  positive  and  the  other  negative.  They 
are  complementary  and  mutually  supporting. 
They  are  like  the  two  sides  of  a  shield,  the  two 
wings  of  a  bird,  or  the  two  wheels  of  a  cart. 
When  one  is  asserted,  the  other  necessarily 
follows  as  a  logical  consequence.  What  are 
they?  The  negative  phase  of  Buddhism  I  may 
call  the  doctrine  of  the  non-ego  and  the  positive 
phase  the  doctrine  of  Dharmakaya  (which  latter 
may  be  considered  to  correspond  to  the  Christian 
conception  of  God,  though  not  exactly,  as 
explained  later) . 

Let  me  first  expound  the  doctrine  of  the 
non-ego.  Non-ego  may  not  be  a  very  appro- 
priate term  to  express  the  Buddhist  conception 
of  Anatman,  but  what  I  mean  by  this  will  become 
clearer,  I  hope,  as  I  proceed.  The  Sanskrit  term, 
Atman,  which  is  generally  translated  by  "ego," 
"self,"  "soul,"  or  "individuality,"  is  rather 
comprehensive  and  is  used  by  different  philo- 
sophical schools  in  different  senses.  Buddhists 
understand  by  Atman  that  something  which, 

37 


38       SERMONS  OP  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

lurking  behind  all  our  mental  experiences,  directs 
them  as  it  pleases,  somehow  after  the  fashion 
of  an  organist  striking  the  notes  as  his  whim  or 
sentiment  moves,  or  like  a  show-performer  who 
makes  his  marionettes  dance  up  and  down 
according  to  his  good  pleasure.  This  strange 
something  which  is  popularly  supposed  to  be  a 
concrete  individual  existence  abiding  somewhere 
within  the  body,  and  which  is  known  by  the 
masses  as  the  ego  or  soul  forming  the  central 
part  of  our  existence,  is  denied  by  Buddhists  as 
a  superstitious  belief,  which  has  no  foundation 
in  reality.  And  this  denial  constitutes  the 
negative  side  of  Buddhism. 

The.  absolute  denial  by  Buddhism  of  the 
existence  of  the  ego-soul  may  be  somewhat 
startling  to  our  Christian  audience.  They  have 
been  accustomed  to  such  expressions  as  "the 
resurrection  of  the  soul,"  "the  immortality  of 
the  soul,"  "the  redemption  of  the  soul,"  "the 
reality  of  individuality,"  and  so  forth.  Besides, 
we  use  the  term  "soul,"  or  "ego,"  so  constantly 
in  our  common  parlance,  taking  the  notion  as  the 
most  positive  fact,  which  does  not  allow  of  any 
doubt  or  refutation  whatever.  Our  thoughts 
have  thus  become  saturated,  as  it  were,  with  the 
ego-conception;  and  when  we  see  some  one 
attempting  to  prove  the  phantasmagorial  char- 
acter of  the  ego  or  soul,  we  are  unconsciously 
and  unrestrainingly  inclined  to  ridicule  him. 
But  let  us  stop  for  a  moment  and  reflect  seriously 


ASSERTIONS   AND   DENIALS  39 

whether  there  is  really  such  a  thing  as  soul  or 
self.  Are  we  not  deceiving  ourselves  when  we 
condemn  those  who  refuse  to  believe  in  the  reality 
of  self  as  agnostics,  atheists,  blasphemers,  and 
charge  them  as  immoral  and  faithless?  Is  not 
our  own  deception  so  fundamental  and  thorough- 
going as  to  put  ourselves  in  a  most  puzzling 
position,  difficult  to  extricate  from  when  our 
cherished  notion  is  brought  out  into  the  daylight 
and  mercilessly  examined  by  the  tribunal  of  most 
advanced  thoughts?  Let  us  see  how  it  is. 

The  first  question  I  wish  to  ask  is:  "What 
do  we  understand  by  the  soul  or  ego?"  For 
instance,  when  we  speak  of  the  immortality  of 
the  soul,  what  mental  image  do  we  have  about 
the  soul?  Do  we  not  think  that  there  is  some- 
thing, possibly  within  the  body,  as  it  cannot  be 
abiding  outside  of  us,  which  is  so  subtle  and 
ethereal  as  to  elude  our  gross  senses,  but  which 
is  a  sort  of  concrete  individual  existence  not 
belonging  to  any  part  of  the  body,  and  which 
departs  from  the  latter  when  it  breathes  its  last 
and  either  ascends  to  Heaven  or  goes  into  Hell, 
whereby  this  mythical  entity  receives  its  due 
and  last  judgment?  As  to  the  manner  of  its 
ascent  or  descent  after  the  expiration  of  its 
earthly  life,  we  are  entirely  ignorant,  for  no  soul 
has  ever  come  down  among  us  to  tell  its  unique 
experience,  its  flight  through  the  air.  It  may  be 
conceived  that  the  soul  performs  this  miraculous 
deed  after  the  fashion  of  the  Egyptian  Ba,  which 


40  SERMONS   OP   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

is  pictured  commonly  with  two  wings,  earthly 
and  material.  Does  such  a  ghostly  being  really 
reside  within  us?  The  very  idea  seems  ridiculous. 

We  wanted  to  make  the  soul  as  immaterial 
as  possible,  but  we  have  only  succeeded  in  making 
it  as  material  as  any  body  which  we  have  around 
us.  For,  however  ethereal  and  astral  the  soul 
may  be  conceived,  it  cannot  be  anything  but 
material,  as  long  as  it  is  concrete  and  individual. 
And  for  this  reason  I  can  declare  that  those  self- 
advertising  spiritualists  are  no  more  nor  less  than 
crass  materialists, — the  designation  they  wanted 
so  much  to  hurl  upon  others. 

Next,  let  us  search  in  our  own  minds  whether 
there  abides  such  a  thing  as  the  self,  to  which 
we  are  so  fatally  attached.  Is  the  will  my  self? 
Is  intelligence  my  self?  Are  my  ideas  my  self? 
Is  consciousness  my  self?  Are  my  numerous 
desires  my  self?.  My  instincts?  my  judgment? 
my  imagination?  my  experience?  They  are  all 
my  self  in  a  sense,  to  be  sure,  but  are  they  of 
such  nature  as  to  be  thoroughly  simple,  constant, 
self -willing,  and  permanent,  as  we  imagine  the 
soul  to  be?  Consciousness  seems  to  be  so,  but 
are  there  not  many  occasions  in  our  mental  life 
when  consciousness  is  altogether  gone?  And, 
again,  are  there  not  many  cases  of  double  or 
triple  personality?  In  these  cases,  which  con- 
sciousness shall  I  have  to  call  my  own  real, 
permanent  self  or  soul,  which  goes  after  my  death 
to  some  unknown  region?  And,  again,  every  one 


ASSERTIONS   AND   DENIALS  41 

of  us  is  acquainted  with  the  fact  that  when  I 
was  a  child  I  had  a  child-consciousness,  that  when 
I  was  a  young  man,  I  had  a  youth-consciousness, 
and  that  when  I  have  grown  to  full  manhood, 
I  have  a  man-consciousness,  and  that  when  I  am 
an  old  man,  I  shall  have  an  old-man  conscious- 
ness. My  personality  is  thus  constantly  chang- 
ing, in  no  case  being  the  same.  Which  of  these 
consciousnesses  shall  I  call  my  real  and  true  ego 
or  soul  and  wish  its  immortality? 

Of  course,  we  have  to  admit  that  there  is  a 
unity  of  consciousness  in  our  mental  activities. 
But  how  fragile  and  inconstant  is  this  so-called 
unity!  This  is  so,  not  only  in  pathological  cases, 
but  in  our  normal  condition.  When  I  have  an 
idea,  I  am  the  idea;  when  I  have  a  desire,  I 
am  the  desire;  when  I  will,  I  am  the  will;  for 
it  is  not  warranted  by  experience  to  say  that  I 
have  such  and  such  thoughts  or  desires  or  im- 
pulses. But  I  am  those  thoughts  or  desires  or 
impulses.  I  am  constantly  shifting  from  one 
thing  to  another,  now  a  desire,  now  an  idea,  and 
so  forth.  However  hard  you  may  endeavor  to 
catch  this  sort  of  "Wandering  Jew,"  you  will  find 
it  so  slippery,  so  evasive,  so  inconstant,  and  finally 
you  have  to  give  it  up  as  wasting  labor. 

A  learned  scholar  was  once  very  much  troubled 
with  the  problem  of  the  soul.  He  utterly  lost 
peace  of  mind,  and  spent  many  years  in  agony 
and  vexation,  when  at  last  he  was  informed  of 
the  news  of  the  arrival  of  a  saintly  Buddhist 


42       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

monk  in  his  land.  He  hastened  to  the  monas- 
tery where  the  monk  was  settled  in  his  temporary 
sojourn,  and  most  piteously  implored  him  to  be 
instructed  in  spiritual  discourse.  The  monk  was, 
however,  apparently  so  absorbed  in  his  contem- 
plation that  he  did  not  even  turn  his  head  to 
acknowledge  a  stranger.  The  scholar  was  not 
disappointed,  however,  and  it  is  said  that  he 
stood  at  the  same  spot  for  a  period  of  seven  days 
and  nights.  Finally,  he  drew  a  sword  which  he 
carried  in  the  belt  as  was  the  fashion  of  the  time, 
and  cut  off  his  own  left  arm,  which  he  reveren- 
tially presented  to  the  inscrutable  mystic,  saying : 
"This  is  a  token  of  my  sincere  desire  to  be 
instructed  in  your  religion.  I  have  been  search- 
ing for  my  soul  for  so  many  years,  and  I  am 
indescribably  vexed  in  my  spirit.  Please  be 
gracious  enough  to  pacify  my  soul."  The  Bud- 
dhist monk  then  slowly  turned  toward  the 
supplicant  and  said,  "Where  is  your  soul?  Bring 
it  to  me,  and  I  will  have  it  pacified."  The 
scholar  said,  "The  very  trouble  is  that  I  cannot 
find  it."  The  monk  exclaimed,  "Pacified  is 
your  soul!"  and  it  happened  that  upon  hearing 
this  a  sort  of  spiritual  flashlight  went  across  the 
mind  of  the  scholar. 

A  favorite  parable  used  by  Buddhists  to  illus- 
trate the  unreality  of  soul  or  self  (I  take  these 
two  meaning  the  same  thing) ,  is  that  of  the  house. 
The  house  is  composed  of  the  roof,  walls,  posts, 
floor,  windows,  and  so  forth.  Now,  take  each 


ASSERTIONS   AND   DENIALS  43 

one  of  these  apart,  and  we  have  no  such  thing 
as  a  house,  which  appeared  to  have  a  permanent 
actuality  awhile  ago.  The  house  did  not  have 
any  independent  existence  outside  the  material 
whose  combination  only  in  a  certain  form  makes 
it  possible.  From  the  beginning  there  was  no 
house-soul  or  house-ego,  which  willed  according 
to  its  own  will  to  manifest  itself  in  such  and  such 
way  by  combining  the  roofs,  walls,  et  cetera. 
The  house  came  into  existence  only  after  all 
these  component  parts  were  brought  together. 
If  the  house-soul  insisted  that  "I  am  a  thing 
by  itself,  distinct  from  any  of  you,  members  of 
my  being,  and  therefore  I  shall  abide  here  forever 
even  when  you,  component  parts,  are  disorganized. 
I  will  go  up  to  heaven  and  enjoy  my  reward  there, 
for  I  have  sheltered  so  many  worthy  people 
under  my  roof, ' '  this  soul  would  be  the  most  appro- 
priate object  of  laughter  and  derision.  But  are 
we  not  standing  in  a  similar  situation  when  we 
speak  of  our  eternal  self  dwelling  within  us  and 
departing  after  death  in  its  heavenward  course? 
*  #  # 

So  far  the  argument  has  been  theoretical. 
Let  me  see  the  practical,  ethical  consequence  of 
the  ego-soul  hypothesis.  I  find  it  producing 
most  pernicious  effects  on  our  daily  life,  for  the 
assertion  of  self-will,  which  is  the  root  of  all  evil, 
is  the  logical,  inevitable  conclusion  of  the  belief 
in  the  existence  of  a  real  ego-soul.  But  most 
people  seem  not  to  be  aware  of  this  fact.  They 


44      SERMONS  OP  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

complain  so  much  of  the  weakness  of  the  flesh, 
or  the  worldly  inclinations  of  the  "old  man," 
but  they  do  not  endeavor  to  go  to  the  bottom 
Of  the  matter  and  to  find  there  the  cause  of  all 
spiritual  vexations.  When  the  cause  is  discov- 
ered the  remedy  is  at  hand.  Let  us  ask,  there- 
fore :  "  What  is  the  flesh  ?  Who  is  the  '  old  man '  ? 
Why  does  the  flesh  eternally  interfere  with  the 
aspirations  and  doings  of  the  spirit?  Why  is 
the  flesh  so  meddlesome?  Why  has  the  old  man 
an  evil  eye  on  the  new  man?"  When  these 
spirit-harassing  questions  are  thoroughly  inves- 
tigated, we  find  that  the  arrogance  of  the  flesh 
is  based  on  belief  in  the  ultimate  reality  of  the 
ego-soul,  that  the  impertinence  of  the  "old  man" 
comes  from  the  secret  thought  that  the  self  is 
real  and  abiding.  "Crucify  him,"  therefore, 
says  Buddhism,  "as  the  first  work  in  your 
religious  discipline;  destroy  this  chimerical,  illu- 
sory notion  of  self;  get  convinced  of  the  truth 
that  there  is  no  such  creature  dwelling  in  the 
coziest  corner  of  our  minds ;  free  yourselves  from 
the  yoke  of  the  ego-soul  which  exists  not;  and 
you  will  see  how  vexatious  and  spirit-harrowing 
it  was  to  be  confined  within  the  self-made,  self- 
imposed  prison.  You  will  see  again  how  free 
and  unhampered  your  life  is  in  the  ego-less 
atmosphere  where  we  all  forget  the  limitations 
of  individualism  and  participate  in  the  feeling 
of  universal  brotherhood."  The  so-called  "I" 
is  possible  only  when  it  is  thought  of  in  connection 


ASSERTIONS   AND   DENIALS  45 

with  its  fellow-selves.  Indeed,  this  self  and 
other  selves  are  one  in  each  other,  I  in  you  and 
you  in  me;  and  this  sense  of  universal  oneness 
breaks  most  effectually  the  barrier  of-  egoism  and 
glorifies  the  significance  of  individual  existences. 
When  we  realize  this  exalted  spirituality,  we  can 
truly  say  with  the  Gospel  of  John  that  "all 
mine  are  thine,  and  thine  are  mine;  and  I  am 
glorified  in  them." 

The  conclusion  thus  here  reached  sheds  light 
on  another  field  of  spiritual  experience  where 
many  religionists  are  groping  in  the  dark.  They 
tell  us  that  we  must  love  our  neighbors  and  even 
enemies.  The  injunction  is  noble,  but  we  are  not 
enlightened  as  to  the  reason  why  we  must  not 
assert  ourselves  to  the  destruction  of  enemies 
or  to  the  disadvantage  of  neighbors.  They 
simply  insist  that  it  is  the  command  of  a  divine 
authority.  This  is  very  well  with  those  who 
blindly  accept  it.  But  there  are  other  religious 
people,  often  designated  as  heathens  or  pagans 
or  atheists,  who  want  to  know  the  reason  why. 
Seeing  that  man  is  a  rational  being  in  some 
measure,  we  cannot  afford  altogether  to  suppress 
their  legitimate  doubt  by  the  name  of  some 
august  being.  When  we  want  to  prove  the 
universality  of  a  certain  proposition,  we  find 
mere  appealing  to  a  power  above  us  not  so 
convincing  and  satisfactory  as  appealing  to  our 
own  human  nature  or  rationality.  When  we  are 
told,  "Say  this,  or  do  that,  because  it  is  in 


46  SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST    ABBOT 

accord  with  the  inner  reason  of  our  being,"  we 
feel  more  the  nobility  of  human  nature. 

According  to  Buddhism,  the  question  why  we 
must  not  discriminate  between  friends  and  foes 
is  answered  by  the  doctrine  of  non-ego,  as  above 
explained  at  some  length.  Therefore,  the  Bud- 
dhists declare:  Regulate  your  thoughts  and 
deeds  according  to  the  feeling  of  oneness,  and 
you  will  find  a  most  wondrous  spiritual  truth 
driven  home  to  your  hearts.  You  are  not  neces- 
sarily thinking  of  the  welfare  and  interest  of 
others,  much  less  of  your  own;  but,  singularly 
enough,  what  you  aspire  and  practise  is  naturally 
conducive  to  the  promotion  of  the  general  happi- 
ness, of  others  as  well  as  of  yourselves.  In  such 
an  enlightened  mind  as  has  realized  this  most 
homely  and  yet  most  ennobling  truth,  there  is 
no  distinction  to  be  made  between  friend  and 
enemy,  lover  and  hater.  He  is  filled  with  loving- 
kindness  and  brotherly-heartedness.  And  such 
a  one  is  called  by  Buddhists  a  Bodhisattva, 
which  translated  means  "intelligence-being,"  or 
"one  who  has  realized  wisdom." 

*  *  * 

At  this  point  we  can  turn  to  the  positive 
phase  of  Buddhism  and  ask  ourselves  what  is 
the  .doctrine  that  supplements  the  theory  of 
non-ego;  for  the  latter  is  mainly  concerned 
with  the  destruction  of  the  popular  belief  relating 
to  the  nature  of  the  ego,  and,  on  that  account, 
it  tends  to  emphasize  the  negative  aspect  of 


ASSERTIONS   AND    DENIALS  47 

Buddhism.  We  must  have  something  positive 
when  this  erroneous  belief  is  removed  and  be 
taught  how  to  behave  among  the  new  surround- 
ings into  which  we  have  thus  been  ushered. 
Most  people  are  exceedingly  alarmed  when  they 
are  told  that  the  self  or  the  soul,  which  they 
cherished  so  fondly,  is  void  in  its  nature,  and 
will  overwhelm  us  with  a  multitude  of  questions. 
To  answer  all  these,  however,  is  not  my  present 
purpose,  as  it  will  require  a  volume  to  satisfy 
those  anxious  truth-seekers.  I  wish  only  to  say 
a  few  words  here  concerning  the  doctrine  of 
Dharmakaya,  which  is  the  affirmative  side  of 
Buddhism. 

Dharmakaya  is  a  Sanskrit  term,  and  it  is  very 
difficult  to  find  a  good  English  equivalent  for  it. 
Dharma  means  "doctrine,"  "law,"  "religion," 
"righteousness,"  "being,"  "essence,"  "norm," 
and  such  like;  while  kdya  means  "body,"  "organ- 
ized being,"  "system,"  and  so  forth.  Dhar- 
makaya as  a  combined  form  of  the  two  may  be 
rendered  "essence-body,"  "system  of  being," 
or  "totality  of  existence."  Whichever  way  we 
translate  it,  we  find  it  very  inadequate  to  express 
all  that  is  contained  in  the  original.  In  a  word, 
it  may  be  considered  to  be  equivalent  to  the 
Christian  conception  of  Godhead,  and  as  such  I 
will  treat  it  in  this  discourse. 

The  Dharmakaya,  however,  differs  from  the 
Christian  God,  perhaps  in  its  most  essential 
aspects.  Of  course,  even  among  Christians  the 


48  SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST    ABBOT 

God-conception  is  subject  to  various  interpre- 
tations ;  and  the  Buddhist  notion  of  Dharmakaya, 
I  venture  to  say,  somewhat  corresponds  to  the 
Johannean  view  of  God.  Intelligent  Christians, 
I  think,  are  well  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  Gospel 
of  John  strikes  quite  an  independent  key  among 
the  Synoptics.  Philosophically  speaking,  it  rings 
with  a  pantheistic  note,  while  the  other  gospels 
are  monotheistic,  true  to  the  Jewish  tradition, 
Buddhism  has  a  pantheistic  tendency,  too,  and 
in  this  respect  the  Gospel  of  John  may  be  con- 
sidered echoing  somewhat  the  Buddhist  senti- 
ment. 

Buddhists  do  not  think  that  God  has  any 
special  abode,  that  his  administration  of  the 
universe  comes  from  a  certain  fixed  center  or 
headquarters,  where  he  sits  in  his  august  throne 
surrounded  by  angels  and  archangels  and  saints 
and  pious  spirits  who  have  been  admitted  there 
through  his  grace.  In  short,  the  Buddhist  God 
is  not  above  us,  nor  below  us,  but  right  in  the 
midst  of  us;  and  if  we  want  to  see  him  face  to 
face,  we  are  able  to  find  him  in  the  lilies  of  the 
field,  in  the  fowls  of  the  air,  in  the  murmuring 
mountain  streams;  we  can  trace  his  footsteps 
in  the  sea,  we  can  follow  him  as  he  rides  upon 
the  storm ;  we  can  meet  him  in  the  bush ;  indeed, 
wheresoever  we  may  turn,  we  are  sure  to  be 
greeted  by  the  smiling  countenance  of  the  author 
of  this  universe.  Who  says,  then,  that  God  is  in 
Heaven,  in  some  unknown  region  where  we 


ASSERTIONS   AND   DENIALS  49 

mortals  are  never  allowed  to  venture  in  without 
his  special  permit? 

This  God  of  Buddhism  works  constantly  and 
everlastingly;  he  knows  no  rest,  no  fatigue,  he 
has  not  to  stop  his  work  after  six  days  of  toil; 
he  does  not  resort  to  any  special  revelation  in 
order  to  announce  his  existence  to  the  world; 
he  has  no  favored  son  to  sacrifice  for  the  sake 
of  the  sin  of  which  the  poor  innocent  child  has 
no  conception.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Buddhist 
God  is  able  to  turn  the  meanest  creature  in  the 
world  to  the  noblest  figure  in  which  his  glory  is 
manifest  to  its  full  extent.  He  can  destroy  this 
whole  universe  and  raise  it  again  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  it  not  being  necessary  for  him  to  wait 
even  for  three  days.  His  revelation  is  not  an 
historical  event,  but  it  is  happening  every  minute, 
and  those  who  have  eyes  see  it,  those  who  have 
ears  hear  it.  And  to  know  the  truth  of  this,  it 
is  only  necessary  to  cleanse  the  heart  of  its 
egoistic  impurities  and  defilements,  which  have 
been  accumulating  by  virtue  of  our  subjective 
ignorance.  When  this  fundamental  purification 
is  completed,  "we  all,  with  unveiled  face  reflect- 
ing as  in  a  mirror  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are 
transformed  into  the  same  image,  from  glory  to 
glory."  Again,  we  are  glorified  with  the  " glory 
which  he  had  with  him  before  the  world  was." 
When  we  arrive  at  this  exalted  stage  of  spiritual 
enlightenment,  Buddhism  declares  that  we  have 
attained  Nirvana.  (Most  Christian  critics  have 


50  SERMONS   OF   A    BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

a  very  mistaken  notion  about  the  nature  of 
Nirvana,  and  this  allusion  is  made  with  the  view 
to  clearing  their  minds.) 

*  *  * 

Supposing  that  I  have  made  the  Buddhist 
conception  of  God  now  somewhat  intelligible  to 
you,  however  broadly  and  sketchily,  let  me  see 
what  practical  conclusion  is  drawn  by  the  Bud- 
dhists from  the  above  statement.  If  Buddhism 
teaches,  as  the  Gospel  of  John  declares,  that 
"the  Father  is  in  me  and  I  in  him,"  or  that 
"I  and  my  Father  are  one,"  the  practical  ethics 
of  Buddhism,  it  is  evident,  is  to  manifest  the 
glory  of  God  in  all  our  conduct,  in  all  our  thoughts, 
in  all  our  wishes  and  desires.  It  is  evident, 
further,  that  as  we  are  all  one  in  God,  his  glory 
cannot  be  made  manifest  unless  we  break  down 
the  barrier  of  egoism  which  our  ignorance  and 
shortsightedness  have  built  between  mine  and 
thine.  Though  this  world,  as  it  is,  is  manifesting 
the  glory  and  love  of  God,  the  thought  of  selfish- 
ness which  is  so  dearly  cherished  by  our  limited 
consciousness  must  be  removed  from  the  root, 
in  order  fully  to  appreciate  the  fact  and  truth. 
Buddhism  does  not  exactly  agree  with  Chris- 
tianity when  the  latter  emphasizes  so  much  the 
distinction  between  the  flesh  and  the  spirit,  as 
if  they  were  altogether  antagonistic  to  each 
other  in  their  fundamental  nature. 

Buddhism,  on  the  other  hand,  declares  that  all 
such  distinctions  as  thine  and  mine,  ego  and  God, 


ASSERTIONS    AND    DENIALS  51 

soul  and  flesh,  ''old  man"  and  ''new  man," 
come  from  our  own  subjective  ignorance,  and 
that  when  this  darkness  of  nescience  is  eradi- 
cated the  flesh  becomes  at  once  the  spirit,  the 
ego  instantly  assumes  the  aspect  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  as  Christians  would  say.  For  from  the 
beginning  there  is  neither  flesh  nor  spirit,  neither 
"I"  nor  "thou,"  but  the  infinite  intelligence 
and  love  of  the  Dharmakaya.  Therefore,  Bud- 
dhists do  not  complain,  "The  spirit  is  willing, 
and  the  flesh  is  weak";  but  of  the  evil  influence 
of  ignorance;  and  they  concentrate  all  their 
spiritual  energy  on  the  eradication  of  this  ignor- 
ance and  on  the  bringing  about  of  enlightenment. 
For  enlightenment  is  Nirvana;  and  herein  the 
doctrine  of  non-ego  merges  with  the  doctrine  of 
Dharmakaya. 

*  *  * 

I  am  not  going  here  to  draw  a  parallelism 
between  Buddhism  and  Christianity,  nor  to 
present  you  a  list  of  differences  between  the  two : 
I  wish  to  give  you  in  a  summary  way  the  main 
points  of  the  preceding  discourse  and  conclude 
this  address.  In  a  word,  Buddhism  is  the 
religion  of  enlightenment,  in  which  the  intellect 
and  the  sentiment  are  harmoniously  blended 
together  so  as  to  realize  the  beatific  state  of 
Nirvana.  Through  the  intellect  Buddhists  know 
that  there  is  no  ego-soul  which  hides  itself 
snugly  in  the  deepest  recesses  of  the  mind,  that 
the  universe  is  the  immanent  expression  of  an 


52  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

absolute,  whence  we  come  and  whither  we  go, 
and  that  when  we  recognize  negatively  the 
unreality  of  the  ego-monster  we  positively  per- 
ceive the  truth  of  the  universal  oneness  of  all 
sentient  beings  in  the  Body  of  Intelligence. 
While  this  is  attained  through  the  intellect,  we 
come  to  feel  through  the  objectives  of  the  reli- 
gious consciousness  that  the  ultimate  reality  in 
which  we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being  is 
not  only  intelligence  but  love — by  love  meaning 
the  complete  union  and  sameness  of  me  and  you. 
Therefore,  the  Buddhist  does  not  make  it  the 
purpose  of  his  life  to  rise  from  the  dead,  to  gain 
the  immortality  of  a  mythical  being  known  as 
self,  to  lay  up  treasure  for  the  future,  to  expect 
some  reward  in  Heaven  however  spiritually  that 
reward  be  considered,  or  to  find  consolation,  to 
seek  tranquillity  of  mind  in  relying  upon  some 
historical  personage;  but  he  endeavors  to  actu- 
alize the  glory  of  God  in  this  world  while  he  is 
alive — the  glory  which  he  had  before  the  world 
was — and  which  is  made  manifest  only  by 
following  the  way  of  God,  by  doing  his  will,  that 
is,  by  practising  in  thought  as  well  as  in  person 
the  doctrine  of  non-ego,  the  precept  of  loving- 
kindness. 


IMMORTALITY1 

ONE  of  the  many  questions  which  I  am  very 
often  requested  to  answer  from  the  Bud- 
dhist point  of  view  concerns  the  immortality  of 
the  soul.  Thinking  that  this  will  also  interest 
you,  I  wish  to  present  my  view  on  the  question 
here. 

It  seems,  everything  depends  upon  the  con- 
ception of  the  soul.  Both  you  and  I  may  use 
the  same  term,  but  if  it  is  understood  differently 
we  cannot  expect  to  come  to  any  definite  conclu- 
sion. I  often  think  that  if  every  notion,  every 
concept,  every  sentiment  we  may  happen  to 
have,  is  so  clearly  defined  as  not  to  leave  any 
point  in  obscurity,  a  great  bulk  of  philosophical 
and  religious  controversy,  which  seems  almost 
to  make  up  the  history  of  thought,  will  vanish. 
However  this  may  be,  let  me  first  try  to  show 
you  what  I  understand  by  the  soul. 

Buddhism  uses  the  term  Atman  in  place  of 
soul  and  makes  it  signify  that  mysterious  some- 
thing which  lurks  in  the  background  of  our 
mental  activities,  and  which  soars  up  to  an 

'Read  before  Green  Acre  Fellowship,  Washington,  D.  C., 
April,  1906. 

53 


54  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

unknown  quarter  usually  known  as  heaven  after 
its  departure  from  the  body,  within  which  it  has 
been  imprisoned,  and  on  which  account  it  used 
to  long  for  liberation.  The  atman  or  soul, 
according  to  this  conception,  is  not  material, 
exactly  speaking,  but  something  very  much  akin 
to  it,  for  it  is  an  individual  existence  and  there- 
fore subject  to  the  limitations  of  space  and  time 
as  well  as  to  the  law  of  causation.  Though  it 
is  impossible  to  think  the  soul  other  than  material 
if  it  is  at  all  individual  as  conceived  by  ordinary 
people,  yet  they  make  it  at  once  spiritual  and 
individual — two  qualities  impossible  to  recon- 
cile. Therefore,  in  point  of  fact,  they  materialize 
the  soul  by  their  unwarranted — though  pious 
enough — attempt  to  make  it  immaterial  and 
spiritual.  They  are  not  indeed  spiritualistic  in 
spite  of  their  persistent  claim  to  be  so.  They  are 
in  fact  materialistic.  For  if  things  are  truly 
spiritual  and  immaterial,  in  them  there  must  be 
the  absence  of  all  those  qualities  which  make  up 
materiality,  that  is,  they  must  not  be  bound  by 
the  conditions  of  space  and  time.  The  existence 
of  a  soul  of  this  nature  is  most  positively  denied 
by  Buddhism.  And  those  who  aspire  after  its 
immortality  are  designated  ignorant,  however 
wise  and  intelligent  they  may  be  in  affairs  other 
than  religious. 

It  needs  a  certain  amount  of  reflective  power 
to  see  in  the  popular  conception  of  the  soul  a 
grievous  error  which  Buddhism  endeavors  to 


IMMORTALITY  55 

remove.  It  may  be  more  readily  comprehended 
by  the  majority  of  people  when  we  say  that  there 
is  a  mysterious  metaphysical  something  in  the 
mind  which  directs  all  its  functions  and  operations 
according  to  its  whimsical  will,  and  which  makes 
us  believe  in  the  reality  of  an  ego-substance; 
than  when  we  say  that  the  so-called  soul  is  no 
more  than  the  unity  of  consciousness  which  is 
liable  at  any  moment  to  dissolve,  and  which  comes 
to  exist  when  there  is  a  certain  co-ordination  of 
all  mental  faculties.  If  you  make  the  soul 
signify  the  notion  which  is  popularly  more  intel- 
ligible, Buddhism  will  give  you  a  very  poor  con- 
solation, as  it  denies  even  the  existence  of  such  a 
shadowy  object,  not  to  speak  of  its  continuance 
after  the  decay  and  dismemberment  of  the  cor- 
poreal existence. 

If  this  is  found  by  you  to  be  a  little  too  abstract 
to  be  quite  comprehensible,  let  me  give  you  a 
favorite  illustration  frequently  used  by  Buddhists 
to  show  the  fallacy  of  belief  in  the  existence  of 
the  soul.  Do  you  think  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
the  soul  of  the  house  who  picks  up  the  beams, 
roof,  floor,  walls,  windows,  etc.,  and  puts  them 
together  in  such  a  fashion  as  to  make  a  house, 
and  then  hides  himself  in  it  somewhere,  though 
altogether  unrecognizable?  Do  you  think  again 
there  is  what  is  to  be  called  the  spirit  of  water 
who  mixes  up  a  certain  amount  of  hydrogen 
with  a  portion  of  oxygen  in  order  to  make  that 
most  familiar  and  useful  liquid  and  then  convert 


56       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

it  into  his  own  hiding-place?  When  the  intellect 
had  not  yet  attained  the  present  stage  of  devel- 
opment, people  thought  that  there  was  in  every- 
thing a  spirit  or  a  soul  residing  and  living,  and 
who,  when  in  wrath,  found  expression  in  raising 
a  tempest,  in  creating  a  hurricane,  or  in  quaking 
the  foundation  of  the  earth.  But  that  time  seems 
to  have  departed  forever. 

A  house  is  here  when  all  the  necessary  things, 
such  as  walls,  pillars,  beams,  etc.,  are  brought 
together  according  to  a  certain  form.  Water 
comes  into  existence  when  hydrogen  and  oxygen 
combine  themselves,  each  in  a  certain  definite 
percentage,  according  to  their  inherent  consti- 
tution. It  will  be  ridiculous,  then,  to  imagine 
that  whenever  we  observe  the  waves  stirring 
or  a  mountain-stream  rushing  there  is  a  soul  in 
the  water  who  makes  all  these  phenomena.  The 
conception  of  the  human  ego-soul  is  in  perfect 
parallel  with  that  of  the  water  soul-entity.  If 
waves,  cataracts,  whirlpools,  or  fountains  are 
possible  without  presuming  the  existence  of  a 
water-ego,  why  do  we  hypostatize  mentality 
and  conceive  the  ego  as  an  ultimate  reality? 
Even  scientifically  speaking,  this  hypothesis  does 
not  at  all  satisfactorily  explain  our  mental 
phenomena,  but  instead  involves  us  in  more 
difficulties  and  complications.  Accordingly,  those 
who  hanker  after  the  immortality  of  the  soul 
are  said  to  be  pursuing  fata  morgana  which 
vanish  into  airy  nothingness  as  you  approach. 


IMMORTALITY  57 

Buddhism  seems  to  be  perfectly  justified  in 
declining  to  acknowledge  the  ego-soul. 

What  will  then  become  of  our  innate  desire 
after  immortality?  This  is  the  question  which 
will  naturally  come  to  you  after  you  have  fol- 
lowed me  so  far.  To  this  I  will  answer:  Seek 
that  which  is  above  birth  and  death,  identify 
yourselves  with  it,  and  in  that  measure  in  which 
your  identification  is  complete  you  will  acquire 
immortality,  and  your  religious  sentiment  will 
be  thoroughly  satisfied.  Buddhism  does  not 
seek  enlightenment  in  egoism,  does  not  realize 
Nirvana  in  the  assertion  of  selfishness.  Have 
your  self-will  removed  and  put  in  its  place  the 
divine  will.  "Not  my  will,  but  thy  will/'  as 
Christians  say,  is  that  which  is  immortal  in  us, 
as  well  as  that  which  constitutes  the  reason  of 
our  individual  existences.  As  long  as  you  have 
your  selfish  desires,  impure  motives,  ignorant 
impulses,  your  immortality  will  never  be  gained. 
To  be  egoistic  and  to  be  immortal  is  to  make 
"a"  equal  to  "not-a,"  or  to  mix  water  with  oil, 
as  a  Japanese  saying  goes;  they  exclude  each 
other,  and  the  result  is  unspeakable  tribulation 
of  spirit. 

The  problem  of  immortality  has  never  troubled 
Buddhists,  to  speak  frankly.  When  we  were 
first  asked  about  it,  we  did  not  know  exactly  how 
to  grapple  with  it,  for  Buddhists  are  used  to  look 
at  the  matter  from  a  totally  different  point  of 
view.  Their  first  effort  is  to  comprehend  the 


58       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

whole,  leaving  the  details  behind.  They  first 
want  to  grasp  that  which  is  changeless,  is  above 
the  transiency  of  phenomenality.  When  this  is 
accomplished,  they  find  that  they  themselves 
are  part  and  parcel  of  that  imperishable  some- 
thing. Though  mortal  as  individual,  particular 
beings,  they  are  a  manifestation  of  the  Great  All, 
and  as  such  they  will  most  assuredly  survive  all 
forms  of  change  and  transformation.  They  have 
then  nothing  to  trouble  themselves  concerning  soul 
or  no-soul  and  much  less  with  its  immortality. 
All  that  they  have  to  do  is  to  come  to  a  clear 
consciousness  of  the  reason  of  the  universe  and 
to  make  its  realization  in  them  as  perfect  as  they 
can.  Whether  they  live  or  not  after  the  expira- 
tion of  their  physical  lives  does  not  concern  them 
at  all.  Let  uthy  will  be  done,"  and  everything 
else  will  run  its  own  course,  and  are  we  not 
relieved  of  the  useless,  wasteful  worry  and 
anxiety? 

If,  in  spite  of  all  this,  you  feel  somehow  incon- 
solable on  account  of  nothing  concrete  surviving 
after  you  but  cold  ashes  and  crumbling  bones, 
I  would  give  you  the  immortality  of  work 
(karma)  instead  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 
Or  we  might  say  that  what  you  wish  to  under- 
stand by  the  soul  does  not  exist  in  the  ego- 
entity  but  in  the  work  you  do,  in  the  sentiment 
you  feel,  in  the  thought  you  think,  and  if  all  these 
are  in  accordance  with  "thy  will"  which  disposes, 
they  will  be  what  is  left  after  you,  that  is  to  say, 


IMMORTALITY  59 

you  will  forever  live  in  them.  When  we  stand 
before  a  canvas  painted  by  a  great  painter, 
do  we  not  feel  the  presence  of  the  artist,  as  his 
ideas  and  feelings  are  embodied  in  it?  Cannot 
we  say  that  the  artist  is  still  living  in  his  work? 
We  do  not  know  whether  his  soul  has  gone  up 
to  the  heavens  and  is  enjoying  the  celestial 
happiness,  but  we  do  know  for  certain  that  he 
is  still  living  among  ourselves  and  inspiring  us 
to  higher  ideals  of  life. 

Do  you  prefer  the  immortality  of  the  soul  as 
popularly  understood  to  this  kind  of  immor- 
tality that  I  have  endeavored  to  expound  here? 
If  you  do,  I  have  nothing  further  to  say,  but  that 
the  immortality  of  work  or  deed  or  thought  or 
sentiment  seems  to  be  more  in  accordance  with 
the  result  of  modern  scientific  investigation — 
not  only  that,  but  to  be  more  satisfactory  to  our 
religious  consciousness. 

Before  concluding,  there  is  one  thing  I  should 
like  to  ask  the  believers  in  a  materialistic,  indi- 
vidual soul  and  its  immortality;  that  is,  What 
do  you  want  to  do  up  in  heaven  when  you  are 
ushered  in  there  after  you  have  finished  your 
earthly  career?  Is  it  your  wish  to  sit  quietly 
beside  your  Father  and  among  the  host  of  celestial 
beings  and  passively  enjoy  inexpressible  bless- 
ings? If  this  is  your  wish  for  individual  immor- 
tality, I  fail  to  see  the  purpose  and  significance  of 
this  life  on  earth.  The  history  of  civilization  seems 
to  lose  its  purport  when  you  are  away  from  here. 


60       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

Buddhists  think  otherwise  than  Christians  in 
this  respect.  We  consider  our  existence  here 
below  as  a  sort  of  link  in  the  eternal  chain  of 
the  divine  revelation  in  the  universe.  We  have 
not  come  on  earth,  each  singly  and  separately, 
to  assert  only  our  individuality;  but  our  fates 
are  most  solidly  linked  to  our  ancestors  and  their 
civilization  as  well  as  to  our  successors  and  their 
destiny.  What  we  are  to-day  is  due  to  the 
karma  of  our  predecessors  and  at  the  same  time 
will  determine  the  fates  of  posterity.  If  we  fail 
to  enrich  and  ennoble  our  spiritual  inheritance 
which  originally  came  from  the  hand  of  the 
Dharmakaya,  we  entirely  ignore  the  meaning  of 
the  history  of  humanity,  we  altogether  disregard 
our  responsibility  to  our  forefathers  and  grand- 
children. We  must  not  go  to  heaven  and  selfishly 
enjoy  our  individual  immortality.  On  the  con- 
trary, we  must  abide  where  we  are,  and  co-operate 
with  one  another  for  the  ennoblement  and  enrich- 
ment of  our  earthly  life.  We  must  not  be  ungrate- 
ful for  what  our  ancestors  did  for  us,  nor  must 
we  be  inconsiderate  of  the  welfare  and  enlighten- 
ment of  coming  generations.  We  must  behave 
nobly,  we  must  think  rationally,  we  must  feel 
unselfishly,  and  let  us  live  in  this  karma  which 
endureth  forever,  even  after  the  dissolution  of 
this  physical  existence. 

Again,  according  to  Buddhism,  this  universe 
is  a  sort  of  spiritual  laboratory,  in  which  all  our 
ideal  possibilities  are  experimented  upon  and 


IMMORTALITY  6 1 

developed  and  perfected.  When  this  material 
garment  wears  out  after  a  long  use,  we  throw  it 
away  and  put  on  a  new  one  and  appear  in  the 
same  laboratory  (and  not  anywhere  else,  not 
even  in  Heaven,  let  me  remind  you)  as  our  own 
successors.  We  examine  what  our  former  lives 
have  accomplished  and  apply  all  our  moral  and 
spiritual  energy  to  the  furtherance  and  perfection 
of  the  karma.  The  doctrine  that  the  Buddha 
was  able  to  reach  his  ideal  eminence  after  his 
untiring  practice  of  the  six  virtues  of  perfection 
(pdramitds)1  throughout  his  innumerable  lives 
since  the  dawn  of  consciousness,  is  no  more  than 
the  Buddhist  conception  of  immortality  and  of 
the  eternal  striving  after  ideals.  Let  us,  there- 
fore, go  not  anywhere  else  after  death  even  if  an 
indulging  benefactor  should  attempt  to  persuade 
us  to  join  his  celestial  hosts;  but  let  us  remain 
in  this  universe,  let  the  karma  we  have  accu- 
mulated here  bear  its  fruit  and  be  brought  to  a 
happy  consummation;  for  we  are  not  strong 
enough  to  stand  the  grave  charge  to  be  preferred 
by  posterity  to  the  effect  that  we  have  scattered 
all  our  precious  ancestral  legacy  to  the  four  winds. 

*(i)  Charity,    (2)    Observation    of     Moral    Precepts,    (3) 
Meekness,  (4)  Energy,  (5)  Meditation,  (6)  Wisdom. 


BUDDHIST  FAITH. 

BUDDHISM  is  so  deep  and  comprehensive — 
and,  we  might  say,  even  unfathomable — that 
scholars  are  sometimes  at  a  loss  how  and  where 
to  begin  its  measurement.  In  some  respects  it 
appears  to  be  a  chaotic  mass  of  superstitions, 
while  in  others  it  is  a  systematic  and  thorough- 
going application  of  an  idealistic-pantheistic 
theory.  The  present  discourse  does  not  propose, 
however,  to  clear  up  all  these  difficulties,  but  only 
to  give  a  certain  clue  with  which  students  of 
Buddhism  may  be  guided  in  their  exploration. 
Buddhism,  then,  will  be  treated  here  broadly 
under  two  headings,  Faith  and  Discipline. 

First,  of  Buddhist  faith,  which  is  summed  up 
in  this  gatha : 

"The  Buddha-Body  fills  the  world, 
Being  immanent  universally  in  all  things; 
It  will  make  itself  manifest  wherever  and  whenever 

conditions  are  matured, 
Though  it  never  leaves  this  Seat  of  Bodhi." 

Generally  speaking,  faith  means  trusting — 
trusting  in  something  external  to  oneself.  When 
religion  is  defined  as  a  faith,  it  is  considered  to 
imply  that  there  is  a  being  or  power  which  has 
created  this  world  and  presides  over  it,  directing 

6? 


BUDDHIST   FAITH  63 

its  course  and  shaping  its  destiny;  and  that 
religion  teaches  to  trust  or  believe  in  this  being 
or  power,  which  is  thus  proved  to  be  greater  and 
wiser  than  human  beings.  Therefore,  Christians 
believe  in  a  God  who  is  a  personal  reality  and 
who  is  supposed  to  exist  above  and  outside  of 
us  poor  mortals;  and  some  Buddhists  believe  in 
Amitabha  Buddha,  who  resides  in  Pure  Land  or 
Western  Paradise  (SukhdvatT) ;  and  for  this 
reason  religion  has  come  to  be  identified  with  a 
belief  in  an  external  object,  whatever  this  be, 
particularly  by  Occidental  scholars.  But  Bud- 
dhist faith  does  not  belong  to  this  category,  for 
Buddhism  rejects  the  existence  of  a  personal 
God  as  he  is  ordinarily  understood  by  some 
religionists.  What,  then,  is  the  faith  that  keeps 
Buddhists  together? 

Briefly,  Buddhists  believe  in  three  most  funda- 
mental facts  which  are  universally  observable 
about  us  and  which  cannot  be  refuted  by  any 
amount  of  argument.  They  believe  first  in  the 
sameness  of  things  (samata).  By  sameness  is 
understood  the  presence  of  a  unifying  principle 
in  all  phenomena.  However  diversified  and 
differentiated  may  appear  those  particular  exist- 
ences with  which  we  come  in  contact  in  this 
world  of  the  senses,  they  universally  partake  of 
one  nature,  of  one  essence ;  and  it  is  on  account 
of  this  presence  of  a  supra-individual  reason  that 
life  becomes  possible,  that  existence,  this  phe- 
nomenal world,  becomes  possible. 


64       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

Secondly,  Buddhists  believe  in  the  difference 
between  things  (ndndtva),  in  their  manifoldness, 
in  their  particularity,  in  their  individuality;  for 
it  is  an  undeniable  fact  that  things  are  all 
separate  and  distinct,  that  each  has  its  own 
individuality,  that  each  moves  according  to  its 
own  inherent  necessity. 

Thirdly,  Buddhists  believe  in  the  fact  that  all 
things  move  or  work.  For  there  is  nothing  in 
this  world  that  is  not  endowed  with  the  possi- 
bility of  motion,  the  power  of  doing  something, 
the  capacity  of  accomplishing  a  work;  and  in 
exercising  this  power  everything  works  upon 
another  and  is  at  the  same  time  worked  upon 
by  another.  The  universe  is  a  network  of  all 
these  particular  forces  mutually  acting  and 
mutually  being  acted  upon.  This  is  called  the 
-principle  of  karma,  and  Buddhists  apply  it  not 
only  to  the  physical  world  but  to  the  moral  and 
spiritual  realm. 

This  threefold  faith  constitutes  the  corner- 
stone of  Buddhism,  which  makes  it  appear 
somewhat  too  metaphysical  to  be  a  religion  of 
the  masses,  but  the  fact  is  that  Buddhism  is  far 
from  being  a  system  of  philosophy.  Those  who 
take  Buddhists  for  speculative  thinkers  will  lose 
sight  of  the  inner  life  of  the  religion  in  which 
its  followers  are  living.  It  must  never  be  sup- 
posed that  Buddhists  try  to  get  us  entangled  in 
the  endless  maze  of  sophistic  reasoning.  Any- 
thing that  is  to  be  designated  at  all  as  a  religion 


"BUDDHIST  FAITH  65 

• 
never  proposes  to  argue  with  us  after  the  fashion 

of  a  philosopher;  for  religion  is  not  to  analyze, 
to  demonstrate,  or  to  argue  with  logical  thor- 
oughness, but  to  see  facts  directly  and  to  believe 
and  to  live  them  accordingly. 

In  the  gatha  recited  in  the  beginning,  the  idea 
of  sameness  is  rather  dogmatically  expressed: 
"The  Buddha-Body  fills  the  world."  In  this 
the  content  of  sameness  is  called  Buddha- 
Body  or  in  Sanskrit  Buddhakaya.  The  Bud- 
dhakaya, which  is  also  often  called  Dharma- 
kaya,  is  the  reason,  life,  and  norm  of  all 
particular  existences.  When  we  penetrate 
through  the  diversity  of  all  these  individual 
phenomena,  we  encounter  everywhere  this  in- 
dwelling Body  and  therein  find  the  unity  or 
sameness  (samata)  of  things. 

The  principle  of  diversity  is  declared  in  the 
second  line  of  the  gatha,  which  makes  the  Buddha- 
Body  universally  immanent  in  all  things.  The 
Buddha-Body,  the  essence  of  existence,  though 
absolutely  one  in  itself,  allows  itself  to  be  diver- 
sified as  the  lilies  of  the  field,  as  the  fowls  of  the 
air,  as  the  creatures  of  the  water,  or  as  the 
inhabitants  of  the  woods.  For  it  is  in  the  inherent 
nature  of  the  Buddha-Body  that  it  individualizes 
itself  in  the  manifoldness  of  the  phenomenal 
world.  It  does  not  stand  alone  outside  particular 
existences,  but  it  abides  in  them  and  animates 
them  and  makes  them  move  freely.  By  thus 
abandoning  its  absolute  transcendentality,  it 


66  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

has  subjected  itself  to  certain  conditions  such  as 
space,  time,  and  causation.  Its  essence  is  infinite, 
but  its  manifestations  are  finite  and  limited. 
Therefore,  the  Buddha-Body  has  to  wait  to 
express  itself  in  this  relative  world  till  all  the 
necessary  conditions  are  matured.  This  creation, 
so  called,  is  no  more  than  a  manifestation  of  the 
self-limiting  Buddha-Body. 

Suppose  here  stands  a  mirror — the  mirror  of 
Buddha-Body.  Anything  that  comes  in  front  of 
it  is  reflected  therein,  and  this  without  any  pre- 
meditation on  the  part  of  the  mirror.  If  there 
comes  a  man,  he  is  reflected  there;  if  a  woman, 
she  finds  herself  reflected  in  it ;  if  it  is  a  beautiful 
flower  now  which  presents  itself  before  the 
mirror,  it  is  immediately  and  instantly  reflected 
with  all  its  magnificence.  It  is  even  so  with 
things  unsightly  or  even  repugnant,  for  the 
mirror  does  not  refuse  its  illuminating  power  to 
anything,  high  or  low,  rich  or  poor,  ugly  or 
beautiful,  good  or  evil.  Wherever  and  whenever 
conditions  are  ripe,  all  particular  things  will  be 
reflected  in  the  supra-natural  mirror  of  Buddha- 
Body,  without  hesitation,  without  reasoning, 
without  demonstration.  This  is  the  way  in 
which  the  principle  of  karma  works. 

The  fourth  line  of  the  gatha  is  more  or  less  a 
continuation  of  the  third  and  expresses  the  same 
sentiment  from  another  point  of  view.  Things 
are  many,  and  are  subject  to  constant  transfor- 
mation as  regulated  by  their  karma,  but  the 


BUDDHIST   FAITH  67 

Buddha-Body  eternally  abides  in  the  Seat  of 
Bodhi,  which  is  our  inmost  being. 

The  moon  is  one  and  serenely  shines  in  the 
sky,  but  she  will  cast  her  shadow,  wherever  the 
conditions  are  mature,  in  ever  so  many  different 
places.  Do  we  not  see  her  image  wherever 
there  is  the  least  trace  of  water?  It  may  be 
filthy,  or  it  may  be  clean ;  it  may  consist  of  only 
a  few  drops,  or  it  may  be  a  vast  expanse,  such  as 
the  ocean;  but  they  all  reflect  one  and  the  same 
moon  as  best  suited  to  their  inherent  nature. 
The  shadows  are  as  many  as  different  bodies  of 
water,  but  we  cannot  say  that  one  shadow  is 
different  from  another.  However  small  the  moon 
may  appear  when  there  is  only  a  drop  of  water, 
she  is  essentially  the  same  as  the  one  in  the 
boundless  sheet  of  water,  where  its  heavenly 
serenity  inspires  awe  and  reverence.  So  many, 
and  yet  one  in  all;  so  diverse,  and  yet  essentially 
the  same ;  we  see  it  reflected  everywhere,  and  yet 
is  not  the  Buddha-Body  sitting,  all  alone,  in  the 
Seat  of  Bodhi? 

Several  questions  present  themselves  here: 
How  can  we  attain  a  spiritual  insight  into  the 
sameness  of  things,  and  have  our  minds  so  trans- 
parent as  to  reflect  one  eternal  truth?  How  can 
we  understand  the  principle  of  sameness  in  its 
phenomenal  aspect  and  recognize  it  in  the  diver- 
sity of  desires,  feelings,  passions,  instincts, 
motives,  etc.?  How  can  we  see  the  Buddha- 
Body  in  its  manifold  activities  and  recognize  it 


68       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

at  once  without  abstraction  and  premeditation 
and  elaboration? 

The  most  practical  way  to  solve  these  problems 
is  not  through  mere  intellection.  We  must  first 
acquire  mental  tranquillity,  we  must  be  purified 
spiritually,  we  must  be  freed  from  all  disturbing 
passions,  prejudices,  and  superstitions.  Bud- 
dhism is  a  religion  first  and  last,  and  its  aim  is 
always  practical  and  spiritual.  Philosophers  and 
scientists  will  endeavor  to  come  to  a  definite 
solution  of  the  problems  here  cited  logically, 
intellectually,  metaphysically,  analytically,  rely- 
ing on  their  demonstrative  knowledge.  But  the 
way  that  leads  us  practical  religionists  most 
effectively  to  the  satisfactory  adjustment  of  the 
puzzling  world-riddles  which  so  greatly  disturb 
all  deep,  serious  souls  is  the  practice  of  medita- 
tion, called  Dhyana1  by  Buddhists. 

As  to  the  practical  part  of  Buddhism,  or  Disci- 
pline, it  will  be  treated  under  "Buddhist  Ethics," 
which  follows. 

^ee  the  article  "Practice  of  Dhyana.".     (See  P.  146.) 


BUDDHIST  ETHICS 

PAI  LU-TIEN,  a  famous  Chinese  poet, 
author,  and  statesman  who  lived  in  the 
thirteenth  century  of  the  Christian  era,  once 
went  to  see  an  eminent  Buddhist  monk  whose 
saintly  life  was  known  far  and  near,  and  asked 
him  if  he  would  instruct  him  in  the  essentials 
of  Buddhist  doctrine.  The  monk  assented  and 
recited  the  following  gatha: 

"Commit  no  wrong,  but  good  deeds  do, 

And  let  thy  heart  be  pure, 
All  Buddhas  teach  this  truth, 
Which  will  for  aye  endure."1 

The  statesman-poet  was  not  at  all  satisfied  with 
this  simple  moral  teaching,  for  he  expected  to 
have  something  abstruse,  recondite,  and  highly 
philosophical  from  the  mouth  of  such  a  promi- 
nent and  virtuous  personality.  Said  the  poet, 
"Every  child  is  familiar  with  this  Buddhist 
injunction.  What  I  wish  to  learn  from  you  is 
the  highest  and  most  fundamental  teaching  of 

translation  by  Dr.  Paul  Carus.     In  Pali : 

Sabbapapassa  akaranam,  kusalassa  upasampada, 
Sacittapariyodapanam :  etam  Buddhana  sasanam. 

— Dhammapada,  v.  183. 
69 


70       SERMONS  OP  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

your  faith."  But  the  monk  retorted,  "Every 
child  may  know  of  this  gatha,  but  even  a  silvery- 
haired  man  fails  to  put  it  into  practice."  There- 
upon, it  is  said,  the  poet  reverentially  bowed 
and  went  home  meditatively. 

If  we  are  requested  to-day  to  state  what  is  the 
most  fundamental  in  Buddhist  ethics,  we  have 
to  make  the  same  assertion.  There  may  be  and 
in  fact  are  many  schools  and  denominations  in 
Buddhism,  each  claiming  to  have  transmitted 
the  true  spirit  of  Buddha;  but  they  will  be 
unanimous  in  declaring  that  the  gatha  afore- 
mentioned is  one  of  the  common  grounds  on 
which  they  all  stand.  "Sabba  papassa  akara- 
nam"  is  heard  in  all  Southern  monasteries,  and 
the  lines  "Chu  wo  mo  tso,  etc.,"  are  seen  every- 
where in  the  Eastern  lands  of  Buddhism.  If 
Buddhism  were  called  a  sort  of  ethical  culture 
society  on  account  of  this  simple  code  of  morality, 
its  followers  would  make  no  objection  to  it,  for 
the  recognition  of  a  personal  God,  or  the  concep- 
tion of  original  sin,  or  belief  in  a  risen  Christ  is 
not  thought  indispensable  to  Buddhist  salvation. 
Let  a  man  do  what  is  good  and  avoid  what  is  bad 
and  have  his  heart  as  pure  as  he  can  of  all  egotistic 
impulses  and  desires,  and  he  will  be  delivered  from 
the  clutches  of  ignorance  and  misery.  What- 
ever his  dogmatic  views  on  religion,  he  is  one 
of  the  enlightened  who  are  above  bigotry,  intol- 
erance, vanity,  conceit,  pedantry,  and  prejudice. 
He  must  truly  be  said  to  be  one  whose  spiritual 


BUDDHIST   ETHICS  71 

insight  has  penetrated  into  the  depths  of  exist- 
ence. 

Now,  the  question  is:  What  is  good?  What 
is  evil?  And  how  is  the  heart  to  be  cleansed? 
I  am  not  going  to  discuss  here  these  great 
ethical  and  religious  problems  from  a  mere 
theoretical  point  of  view.  Buddhism  has  nothing 
to  do  with  utilitarianism  or  intuitionalism  or 
hedonism  or  what  not.  Buddhism  is  most 
practical  in  its  announcement  of  what  consti- 
tutes goodness.  It  dogmatically  and  concretely 
points  out  good  deeds  one  by  one.  First,  nega- 
tively, it  enumerates  ten  deeds  of  goodness 
(kusalam)  as  most  fundamental  in  Buddhist 
ethics;  while,  positively,  it  considers  the  six 
paramitas  (virtues  of  perfection)  or  eightfold 
path  as  the  route  leading  to  a  virtuous  life. 

The  ten  deeds  of  goodness  are:  (i)  Not  to 
kill  any  living  being;  (2)  Not  to  take  anything 
that  does  not  belong  to  oneself;  (3)  Not  to 
look  at  the  other  sex  with  an  unclean  heart; 
(4)  Not  to  speak  falsehood;  (5)  Not  to  calum- 
niate; (6)  Not  to  use  vile  language;  (7)  Not 
to  make  sensational  utterances;  (8)  Not  to  be 
greedy;  (9)  Not  to  be  out  of  temper;  and 
lastly,  (10)  Not  to  be  confused  by  false  doc- 
trines. Later  Buddhists,  however,  make  ten 
affirmative  propositions  out  of  those  just  men- 
tioned, thus:  It  is  good  (i)  to  save  any  living 
being,  (2)  to  practise  charity,  (3)  to  be  clean- 
minded,  (4)  to  speak  truth,  (5)  to  promote 


72  SERMONS   OF  A   BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

friendship,  (6)  to  talk  softly  and  gently,  (7)  to 
be  straightforward  in  speech,  (8)  to  be  content 
with  one's  own  possessions,  (9)  to  be  meek  and 
humble,  and  (10)  to  think  clearly  and  rightly. 

The  six  paramitas  or  virtues  of  perfection  are: 
(i)  Charity,  which  includes  the  giving  away  of 
worldly  possessions  as  well  as  the  proclamation 
of  the  Good  Law,  (2)  The  observation  of  the 
moral  precepts  as  formulated  by  Buddha,  (3) 
Meekness,  (4)  Strenuosity,  (5)  Contemplation, 

(6)  Spiritual  enlightenment. 

The  eightfold  path  is:  (i)  Right  view,  (2) 
Right  reflection,  (3)  Right  speech,  (4)  Right 
deed,  (5)  Right  livelihood,  (6)  Right  striving, 

(7)  Right    understanding,     (8)    Right    contem- 
plation. 

In  these  various  enumerations  of  Buddhist 
virtues,  what  is  most  unique  are  perhaps  the 
virtues  of  strenuosity  and  those  of  contemplation 
and  enlightenment.  To  be  good  Buddhists,  we 
must  never  be  indolent,  whiling  away  our  time 
to  no  purpose.  Mere  piety  will  not  do,  so  long 
as  there  is  some  work  to  be  accomplished  for 
the  sake  of  humanity  and  civilization.  Love, 
again,  must  be  accompanied  with  enlightenment, 
for  the  affection  is  very  frequently  wasted  on 
account  of  its  blindness.  God-fearing  is  recom- 
mendable,  but  without  contemplation  we  fail 
to  recognize  the  purport  of  our  own  position  in 
the  system  of  the  universe.  Mere  passion  leads 
to  fervor  and  violence  if  not  properly  guided 


BUDDHIST  ETHICS  73 

by  contemplation  which  brings  enlightenment, 
revealing  the  reason  of  existence  and  purifying 
the  heart  of  ignorance. 

Ignorance,  according  to  Buddhism,  is  the  root 
of  all  evil,  and  therefore  it  advises  us  in  strong 
terms  to  have  ignorance  completely  destroyed. 
And  it  is  only  then  that  the  all-illuminating 
light  of  enlightenment  guides  us  gloriously  to 
the  destination  of  all  beings,  where  we  gain 
purity  of  heart,  and  whatever  flows  from  this 
eternal  fountain  of  purity  is  good. 

It  is  evident,  then,  that  by  purity  of  heart  is 
meant  absence  of  ignorance  and  self-will.  But 
it  is  not  a  negative  condition,  for  the  most  essen- 
tial postulate  of  Buddhism  is  that  in  each  of  us 
there  abideth  the  indwelling  reason  of  the 
universe,  which,  when  released  from  the  tem- 
poral bondage  of  ignorance  and  self-will,  becomes 
the  master  of  itself  by  reducing  everything  to 
subjection  and  restoring  it  to  its  right  place. 
In  a  pure  heart,  therefore,  the  universal  reason 
manifests  itself  in  its  full  glory  and  works  its  own 
destiny  unmolested.  What  one  with  such  a  heart 
wills  is  what  makes  the  bird  sing  and  the  flower 
smile,  what  has  raised  the  mountain  and  makes 
the  water  flow.  He  is  hungry  and  the  universe 
wishes  to  eat;  he  is  asleep  and  all  the  world 
hybernates.  This  sounds  extraordinary,  but  the 
enlightened  understand  it  perfectly  well.  We 
cannot  make  the  blind  see  what  we  ourselves 
see.  The  blind  may  protest  that  we  are  deceiving 


74  .   SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

them;  but  could  we  do  otherwise,  inasmuch  as 
they  are  deprived  of  the  sense  we  have,  or  they 
have  not  yet  learned  how  to  make  use  of  it?  It 
is  declared  by  Buddhists,  therefore,  that  to 
realize  fully  the  sanctity  of  religious  life  one 
must  have  Buddha-wisdom  awakened  from  its 
unconscious  slumber  in  which  it  is  indulging 
from  time  out  of  mind. 

Analytically,  purity  of  heart  consists  of  sym- 
pathy and  intelligence,  and  on  this  groundwork 
the  structure  of  practical  Buddhism  is  founded. 
Sympathy  is  the  tremulation  of  the  spiritual 
cord  which  unites  the  hearts  of  all  sentient 
beings;  and  it  is  intelligence  that  discovers  the 
presence  of  the  sacred  cord  in  every  one  of  us 
and  keeps  it  from  being  entangled.  The  cord 
freely  responds  to  cries  of  suffering.  The  heart 
contrives  to  effect  all  the  possible  means  to 
relieve  sentient  beings  from  misery  and  ignor- 
ance. The  ten  deeds  of  goodness,  the  eightfold 
path,  the  six  virtues  of  perfection,  and  many 
other  good  things  all  flow  from  this  one  source 
of  pure-heartedness. 

It  is,  then,  of  unqualified  importance  in  the 
ethics  of  Buddhism  to  have  one's  heart  perfectly 
cleansed  and  free  from  the  dust  of  egotism 
which  has  been  accumulating  through  the  want 
of  enlightenment.  In  this  sense  "blessed  are  the 
pure  in  heart";  they  may  not  see  God  as  he  is 
superficially  and  superstitiously  understood,  but 
they  will  surely  come  into  personal  touch  with  the 


BUDDHIST   ETHICS  75 

ultimate  authority  of  conduct  and  also  perceive 
that  the  author  is  not  residing  outside  of  their 
being  but  within  themselves.  We  read  in  the 
Dharmapada : 

11  Manopubbangama  dhamma,  manosettha,  manomaya; 
Manasa  ce  padutthana  bhasati  va  karoti  va, 
Tato  nam  dukkham  anveti,  cakkam  va  vahato  padam. 

" Manopubbangama  dhamma,  manosettha,  manomaya; 
Manasa  ce  pasannena  bhasati  va  karoti  va, 
Tato  nam  sukham  anveti,  chaya  va  anapayini."1 

In  this  respect  Buddhism  can  be  said  to  have 
a  decidedly  idealistic  tendency,  since  it  fully 
recognizes  the  paramountcy  of  ideas  in  the 
moral  realm.  But  we  must  not  lose  sight  of  the 
fact  that  Buddhism  is  not  a  system  of  meta- 
physics, but  a  religion  which  is  practical  more 
than  anything  else.  What  it  teaches  is  the  pro- 
found spiritual  experience  of  every  enlightened 
man,  while  the  philosopher  and  theorist  will 
speculate  on  the  facts  and  offer  whatever  inter- 
pretation they  may  please  or  feel  compelled  to 
give  to  account  adequately  for  them. 

Buddhism  is  often  charged  with  passiveness 
and  quietism,  lacking  the  "push"  of  some  other 
religions;  and  the  backwardness  of  Asiatic 

*A11  that  is,  is  the  result  of  thought,  it  is  founded  on 
thought,  it  is  made  of  thought.  If  a  man  speaks  or  acts 
with  an  evil  thought,  pain  follows  him,  as  the  wheel  follows 
the  foot  of  the  ox  that  draws  the  carriage.  All  that  is,  is 
the  result  of  thought,  it  is  founded  on  thought,  it  is  made 
of  thought.  If  a  man  speaks  or  acts  with  a  pure  thought, 
happiness  follows  him,  like  a  shadow  that  never  leaves  him. 


76  SERMONS  OP  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

nations  in  the  general  march  of  humanity  is 
sometimes  ascribed  to  the  influence  of  Buddhism. 
Though  I  am  not  here  entering  upon  any  lengthy 
polemics,  a  few  words  may  not  be  altogether 
inopportune  to  refute  such  an  erroneous  opinion 
as  this. 

If  there  is  anything  passive  in  Eastern  culture, 
which  is  often  no  more  than  tolerance  or  indif- 
ference or  self-restraint,  it  is  not  due  to  Buddhism 
but  to  the  racial  idiosyncrasy  of  Asiatic  peoples. 
Buddhism  teaches  contemplation  and  tran- 
quillity and  at  the  same  time  strenuosity,  inde- 
fatigable energy  in  following  truth  and  in 
destroying  ignorance.  We  see  many  admirable 
examples  among  its  believers  who  have  fully 
illustrated  these  virtues  in  their  person.  The 
history  of  Buddhism,  while  perfectly  free  from 
bloodshed  and  inhumanity,  evidences  how  far 
its  moral  teachings  have  been  carried  out.  Bud- 
dhist ethics  is  not  certainly  passive  or  negative, 
unless  the  absence  of  arrogance,  aggressiveness, 
intolerance,  bigotry,  and  fanaticism  could  be 
called  so. 

Religion  in  its  social  aspect  is  not  omnipotent, 
nor  is  it  absolute,  as  is  imagined  by  some.  It  is, 
like  many  other  things  created  by  man,  a  human 
institution;  it  has  been  discovered,  shaped, 
developed  according  to  the  inner  necessity  of 
mankind;  and  as  long  as  he  is  imperfect  and 
steering  his  course  through  innumerable  obstacles, 
religion  also  must  share  his  imperfection  and 


BUDDHIST    ETHICS  77 

adapt  itself  to  ever-changing  surroundings. 
Instead  of  imposing  its  ideals  upon  man  tyran- 
nically and  absolutely,  religion  reconciles  itself 
to  his  needs,  going  through  all  the  necessary 
modifications.  Therefore,  one  religion  is  diversely 
interpreted  by  different  peoples  among  whom 
it  may  thrive.  To  suppose  that  religion  could 
do  anything  it  desires  without  regard  to  indi- 
vidual, national,  racial  peculiarities  is  far  from 
the  fact.  The  difference  between  Oriental  and 
Occidental  civilization  is  by  no  means  due  to  the 
difference  between  Christianity  and  Buddhism. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  difference  between  the 
two  religions  is  due  to  the  difference  between 
the  two  great  types  of  civilization.  Truth,  be 
it  religious  or  philosophical  or  scientific,  is  univer- 
sal, and  as  such  does  not  allow  any  modification 
or  distortion.  But  it  suffers  modification  in  its 
practical  application,  for  it  is  like  a  mathematical 
formula  or  figure.  When  conceived  a  priori,  it  is 
formal  and  not  subject  to  any  concrete  individu- 
alization,  which  latter  in  fact  is  the  condition  of 
its  particular  forms. 

In  conclusion  let  me  say  most  emphatically 
that  the  ethics  of  Buddhism  is  summed  up  in 
the  purification  of  the  heart,  in  keeping  oneself 
unspotted  even  though  living  in  the  world;  and 
from  this  eternal  root  must  sprout  such  things 
of  God  as  love,  a  heart  of  compassion,  the  virtue 
of  strenuosity,  humbleness  of  mind,  longsuffering, 
forbearing  one  another,  forgiving  one  another, 


78       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

and  freedom  from  all  evils.  It  is  said  that  there 
were  eighty-four  thousand  virtues  of  perfection 
practised  by  all  Bodhisattvas,  but  they  are  no 
more  than  so  many  leaves  and  branches  growing 
from  the  one  stem  of  pure-heartedness. 


WHAT  IS  BUDDHISM?1 

IT  seems  to  be  very  appropriate  and  even 
necessary  at  the  outset  to  draw  a  well- 
defined  line  of  demarcation  between  what  is 
understood  as  Hinayana  Buddhism  and  what 
is  known  as  Mahay  ana  Buddhism.  Most  people 
imagine  that  there  is  only  one  school  of  Buddhism 
and  that  that  one  school  is  no  other  than  the 
Buddhism  they  have  learned  from  the  Buddhist 
books  written  or  compiled  or  translated  by 
Western  Orientalists — Orientalists  who  are  in 
many  respects  prejudiced  against  the  doctrine 
which  they  propose  to  study  most  impartially. 
Owing  to  these  unhappy  circumstances,  the 
outsiders  are  either  generally  ignorant  or  alto- 
gether misinformed  of  the  true  character  of 
Buddhism.  For  what  is  understood  by  the 
Western  people  as  Buddhism  is  no  more  than 
one  of  its  main  divisions,  which  only  partially 
expresses  the  spirit  of  its  founder. 

I  said  here  "divisions,"  but  it  may  be  more 
proper  to  say  "  stages  of  development."  For 
Buddhism,  like  so  many  other  religions,  has  gone 

'Read  before  the  National  Geographic  Society,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  April,  1906. 

79 


80       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

through  several  stages  of  development  before  it 
has  attained  the  present  state  of  perfection  among 
the  Oriental  nations.  And  it  will  be  evident  to 
you  that  if  we  catch  only  a  glimpse  of  an  object 
and  try  to  judge  the  whole  from  this  transient 
impression,  we  place  ourselves  in  a  most  awkward 
position,  and  shall  be  at  a  loss  how  to  extricate 
ourselves  from  it.  Therefore,  let  me  try  in  the 
beginning  to  take  a  comprehensive  view  of  the 
subject  we  here  propose  to  expound. 

Properly  speaking,  Hinayana  Buddhism  is  a 
phase  of  Mahay  ana  Buddhism.  The  former  is 
preparatory  for  the  latter.  It  is  not  final,  but 
merely  a  stepping  stone  which  leads  the  walker 
to  the  hall  of  perfect  truth.  Hinayanism  is 
therefore  more  or  less  pessimistic,  ascetic,  ethical 
(to  be  distinguished  from  religious),  and  monas- 
tical.  It  fails  to  give  a  complete  satisfaction  to 
a  man's  religious  yearnings.  It  does  not  fully 
interpret  the  spirit  of  Buddha.  The  Buddhism 
now  prevailing  in  Ceylon,  Burma,  and  Siam  may 
be  considered  to  be  betraying  in  a  certain  way 
a  Hinayana  tendency. 

The  Buddhism  of  present  Japan,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  Mahay anistic.  It  is  more  comprehen- 
sive, more  religious,  more  humanistic,  and  more 
satisfying  to  the  innermost  needs  of  the  religious 
consciousness.  It  cannot  be  said  to  be  abso- 
lutely free  from  superstition,  error,  prejudice, 
etc.,  for  it  is  a  constantly  growing,  ever-living 
faith  which  knows  no  ossification  or  fossilization. 


WHAT  IS   BUDDHISM?  8l 

Some  pious  people  are  apt  to  consider  their 
religious  belief  to  be  absolutely  fixed  and 
unchanging  since  the  dawn  of  human  conscious- 
ness; but  they  have  forgotten,  in  my  opinion, 
the  fact  that  the  human  mind  is  still  keeping 
on  unfolding  itself,  that  it  has  not  yet  exhausted 
all  its  possibilities,  that  it  is  constantly  coming 
to  a  clearer  consciousness  as  to  its  own 'nature, 
origin,  and  destiny.  But  what  I  firmly  believe 
is  that  in  the  Buddhism  of  Japan  to-day  are 
epitomized  all  the  essential  results  reached 
through  the  unfolding  of  the  religious  conscious- 
ness during  the  past  twenty  or  thirty  centuries 
of  Oriental  culture. 

In  a  word,  what  has  been  known  in  the  West 
as  the  teaching  of  Buddha  does  not  represent  it 
in  its  true,  unadulterated  color,  for  it  is  Hina- 
yanistic  in  tendency;  that  is,  it  is  exclusive  and 
not  comprehensive,  narrow  and  limited,  and  not 
all  absorbing  and  assimilating.  What  I  propose 
to  expound  in  this  lecture  to-night  is  the  Maha- 
yana  Buddhism,  so  called  by  Buddhist  scholars 
of  the  East. 

Let  me  point  out  in  this  connection  what  is 
most  characteristic  of  Buddhism  as  distinguished 
from  any  other  religion.  I  refer  to  a  predominant 
tendency  of  Buddhism  toward  intellectuality, 
and  it  seems  to  me  that  the  reason  why  Buddhism 
is  always  ready  to  stand  before  the  tribunal  of 
science  and  let  her  pass  a  judgment  upon  its 
merits  or  demerits  is  due  to  this  intellectual  tenor. 


82       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  intellect  does 
not  constitute  the  most  essential  element  of 
religion,  but  we  must  not  forget  that  a  religious 
system  too  much  given  up  to  sentimentalism 
(understanding  it  in  its  purely  psychological 
sense)  is  generally  prone  to  accede  to  unwar- 
ranted mysticism,  ignoring  altogether  the  legit- 
imate claim  of  the  intellect.  Buddhism  is 
fortunately  saved  from  this  grievous  blunder, 
and  always  endeavors  not  to  give  a  free  rein  to 
the  wantonness  of  imagination  and  the  irra- 
tionality of  affection.  Love  without  enlighten- 
ment excludes,  discriminates,  and  contradicts 
itself.  Love  is  not  love  unless  it  is  purified  in 
the  mill  of  spiritual  insight  and  intellectual 
discrimination. 

What  are,  then,  the  fundamental  teachings  of 
Buddhism?  I  deem  it  best  to  consider  it  from 
two  standpoints,  ethical  and  philosophical,  or 
practical  and  speculative,  or  affective  and  intel- 
lectual. The  philosophical  or  speculative  is 
preparative  for  the  ethical  or  practical,  for 
religion  is  not  a  system  of  metaphysics  which 
plays  with  verbalism  and  delights  in  sophistry, 
but  its  aim  is  pre-eminently  practical  and  spir- 
itual. It  must  bear  fruit  in  this  our  everyday  life. 

To  begin  with  the  metaphysical  side  of  Bud- 
dhism: (i)  We  Buddhists  believe  that  as  far  as 
phenomenality  goes,  things  that  exist  are  all 
separate  and  discrete,  they  are  subject  to  the 
law  of  individuation  and  therefore  to  that  of 


WHAT   IS    BUDDHISM?  83 

limitation  also.  All  particular  things  exist  in 
time  and  space  and  move  according  to  the  law 
of  cause  and  effect,  not  only  physically  but 
morally.  Buddhism  does  not,  though  sometimes 
understood  by  Western  people  to  do  so,  advocate 
the  doctrine  of  emptiness  or  annihilation.  It 
most  assuredly  recognizes  the  multitudinousness 
and  reality  of  phenomena.  This  world  as  it  is,  is 
real,  not  void.  This  life  as  we  live  it,  is  true, 
and  not  a  dream. 

(2)  We  Buddhists  believe  that  all  these  par- 
ticular things  surrounding  us  come  from  one 
ultimate  source  which  is  all-powerful,  all-knowing, 
and  all-loving.  The  world  is  the  expression  or 
manifestation  of  this  reason  or  spirit  or  life, 
whatever  you  may  designate  it.  However 
diverse,  therefore,  things  are,  they  all  partake 
of  the  nature  of  the  ultimate  being.  Not  only 
sentient  beings,  but  non-sentient  beings,  reflect 
the  glory  of  the  Original  Reason.  Not  only  man 
but  even  the  lower  animals  and  inorganic  sub- 
stances manifest  the  divinity  of  their  source. 
To  use  the  Christian  term,  God,  it1  is  visible 
and  audible  not  only  in  one  of  its  highest  mani- 
festations, whom  Christians  call  Jesus  Christ, 
but  also  in  the  meanest  and  most  insignificant 
piece  of  stone  lying  in  a  deserted  field.  God's 

*Let  me  remark  here  that  it  is  not  at  all  proper  to  refer 
to  God,  the  ultimate  source  of  everything,  as  masculine  as 
is  usually  done.  God  is  above  sex.  It  is  neither  "he" 
nor  "she."  Even  "it"  is  not  appropriate,  but  will  be  prefer- 
able to  the  other  pronouns. 


84       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

splendor  is  seen  not  only  in  the  Biblical  lilies, 
but  also  in  the  mud  and  mire  from  which  they 
grow.  The  melody  of  divine  reason  is  heard 
not  only  in  the  singing  of  a  bird  or  in  the  com- 
position of  an  inspired  musician,  but  also  in  the 
" slums  of  life"  as  Emerson  phrases  it. 

(3)  This  recognition  of  the  oneness  of  things 
naturally  leads  to  our  third  belief,  that  the  one 
is  the  many  and  the  many  is  the  one.  God  does 
not  dwell  in  the  heavens.  It  does  not  direct  its 
affairs  in  a  closed  office  situated  somewhere  out- 
side this  world.  It  did  not  create  heaven  and 
earth  out  of  nothingness.  According  to  Bud- 
dhism, it  is  a  serious  error  to  seek  God  outside 
this  life,  outside  this  universe.  It  is  living  right 
among  ourselves  and  directing  the  course  of 
things  according  to  its  innate  destiny.  Though 
Buddhists  refuse  to  have  God  walk  out  of  us, 
they  do  not  identify  it  with  the  totality  of  exist- 
ence, they  are  not  willing  to  cast  their  lot  with 
pantheists  so  called.  God  is  immanent,  surely 
enough,  but  it  is  greater  than  the  totality  of 
things.  For  the  world  may  pass  away,  the 
universe  may  be  shaken  out  of  its  foundation, 
but  God  will  remain  and  will  create  a  new  system 
out  of  the  former  ruins.  The  ashes  of  existence 
will  never  be  scattered  to  the  winds,  but  they 
will  gather  themselves  in  the  ever  designing  hand 
of  God  and  build  themselves  up  to  a  new  order 
of  things,  in  which  it  is  ever  shining  with  its 
serene  radiance, 


WHAT  IS   BUDDHISM?  85 

To  sum  up  the  first  part  of  this  discourse,  what 
may  be  called  the  metaphysical  phase  of  Bud- 
dhism is  to  recognize  (i)  the  reality  of  the 
phenomenal  world,  (2)  the  existence  of  one 
ultimate  reason,  and  (3)  the  immanence  of  this 
reason  in  the  universe. 

Now  to  come  to  the  practical  side  of  Buddhism : 
The  aim  of  Buddhism,  to  state  it  briefly,  is  to  dispel 
the  clouds  of  ignorance  and  to  make  shine  the 
sun  of  enlightenment.  We  are  selfish  because  we 
are  ignorant  as  to  the  nature  of  self.  We  are 
addicted  to  the  gratification  of  the  passions, 
because  we  are  ignorant  as  to  the  destiny  of 
humanity.  We  are  quarrelsome  and  want  to 
make  ourselves  powerful  and  predominant  at 
the  expense  of  our  fellow-beings,  because  we  #re 
ignorant  of  the  ultimate  reason  of  the  universe. 
Buddhists  do  not  recognize  any  original  sin,  but 
acknowledge  the  existence  of  ignorance,  and 
insist  on  its  total  removal  as  the  surest  means 
of  salvation.  Let  us,  therefore,  all  be  enlight- 
ened as  to  the  statement  made  before.  Let  us 
know  that  we  are  all  one  in  the  reason  of  the 
universe,  that  the  phenomenal  world  is  real  only 
to  the  extent  it  manifests  reason,  that  egoism 
has  no  absolute  sway  in  this  life,  for  it  destroys 
itself  when  it  tries  to  preserve  itself  through  its 
arrogant  assertion,  and  that  perfect  peace  is  only 
attained  when  I  recognize  myself  in  you  and 
you  in  me.  Let  us  all  be  enlightened  as  to  these 
things,  and  our  ignorance  and  egoism  are  forever 


86  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

departed;  the  wall  that  divides  is  destroyed, 
and  there  is  nothing  which  prevents  us  from 
loving  our  enemies;  and  the  source  of  divine  love 
is  open  in  our  hearts,  the  eternal  current  of 
sympathy  has  now  found  its  unobstructed  path. 
This  is  the  reason  why  Buddhism  is  called  the 
religion  of  enlightenment. 

Now  that  we  stand  on  this  eminence  of  reli- 
gious sanctity,  we  know  what  Buddhist  practical 
faith  is.  It  is  threefold:  (i)  to  cease  from 
wrong-doing,  (2)  to  promote  goodness,  and  (3) 
to  enlighten  the  ignorant.  Buddhist  ethics  is 
the  simplest  thing  to  practise  in  the  world.  It 
has  nothing  mysterious,  nothing  superstitious, 
nothing  idolatrous,  nothing  supernatural.  Stop 
doing  anything  wrong,  which  is  against  the  reason 
of  things;  do  whatever  is  good,  which  advances 
the  course  of  reason  in  this  life;  and  finally  help 
those  who  are  still  behind  and  weary  of  life  to 
realize  enlightenment:  and  here  is  Buddhism  in 
a  nutshell.  It  has  nothing  to  do  with  prayer 
and  worship  and  singing  and  what  not.  Our 
simple  everyday  life  of  love  and  sympathy  is  all 
that  is  needed  to  be  a  good  Buddhist. 

I  was  once  asked  whether  there  was  such  a 
thing  as  religious  life  particularly.  To  which 
my  answer  was  simple  enough:  "Attend  to 
your  daily  business,  do  all  you  can  for  the  pro- 
motion of  goodness  in  this  world,  and  out  of 
fulness  of  heart  help  your  fellow-beings  to  gain 
the  path  of  enlightenment.  Outside  of  this  there 


WHAT  IS  BUDDHISM?  87 

cannot  be  anything  to  be  specially  called  a  reli- 
gious life." 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  T'ang  Dynasty  in 
China,  there  was  a  famous  poet-statesman  who  is 
known  in  Japanese  as  Hak-Rak-Ten.  He  learned 
that  there  resided  in  his  district  a  Buddhist 
monk  greatly  noted  for  his  saintly  life  and  schol- 
arly learning.  The  governor  went  to  see  him, 
intending  to  discuss  some  deeply  religious  topics. 
As  soon  as  he  was  ushered  into  the  presence  of 
the  monk,  he  inquired  what  was  thought  by  the 
saint  to  be  the  most  fundamental  teaching  of 
Buddhism.  The  monk  immediately  replied  that 
it  is  the  teaching  of  all  enlightened  ones  to  cease 
doing  anything  evil,  to  promote  goodness,  and 
to  purify  one's  own  heart. 

Hak-Rak-Ten  was  nonplused  to  receive  such 
a  commonplace  instruction  from  the  mouth  of 
such  a  scholarly  personage  professing  the  faith 
of  Buddha;  for  he  secretly  expected  to  have 
something  highly  metaphysical  and  profoundly 
speculative,  which  would  naturally  lead  them  to 
further  philosophizing  and  contentless  abstrac- 
tion. The  poet-statesman  therefore  retorted: 
4 'This  is  what  every  child  of  three  summers  is 
familiar  with.  I  desire  on  the  other  hand  what 
is  most  abstruse,  most  essential,  most  vital  in 
Buddhism."  The  monk,  however,  coldly  replied: 
"  Every  child  of  three  summers  may  know  what 
I  said  now,  but  even  a  silvery-haired  man  of 
eighty  winters  finds  it  difficult  to  put  the  Bud- 


88  SERMONS   OF  A   BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

dhist  instruction  into  the  practice  of  everyday 
life." 

And  it  is  said  that  thereupon  the  Governor 
reverentially  bowed  and  went  home  wiser. 

What  is  philosophical  in  Buddhism  is  no  more 
than  a  preliminary  step  toward  what  is  practical 
in  it.  Every  religion,  if  it  deserves  the  name, 
must  be  essentially  practical  and  conducive  to 
the  promotion  of  the  general  welfare  and  to  the 
realization  of  Reason.  Though  intellectualism  is 
one  of  the  most  characteristic  features  of  Bud- 
dhism, making  it  so  distinct  from  any  other 
religious  system,  it  never  forgets  the  fact  that 
our  religious  consciousness  ever  demands  some- 
thing concrete,  that  which  is  visible  to  our 
senses,  that  which  is  observable  in  our  everyday 
life.  Religion  does  not  necessarily  consist  in 
talking  on  such  subjects  as  the  continuation  after 
death  of  individual  personality,  original  sin  com- 
mitted by  some  mythical  personages,  the  last 
judgment  to  be  given  by  an  unknown  quantity, 
a  special  historical  revelation  which  takes  place 
in  a  congested  brain,  and  what  not.  At  least, 
practical  Buddhism  does  not  trouble  itself  with 
solving  these  problems  through  speculation  or 
imagination  or  sophistry.  Let  those  theologians 
who  delight  in  abstraction  and  supernaturalism 
discuss  them  to  their  hearts'  content,  for  that 
is  their  profession.  We,  plain  ordinary  Bud- 
dhists, will  keep  on  removing  selfishness,  seeking 
the  light  that  is  everywhere,  practising  loving- 


WHAT   IS   BUDDHISM?  89 

kindness  that  does  not  contradict  or  discriminate. 
Says  an  ancient  sage,  "The  Way  is  near,  and 
thou  seekest  it  afar."  Why,  then,  shall  we  ever 
attempt  to  walk  away  from  the  path  which 
extends  right  in  front  of  us,  so  wide  and  well 
paved? 


THE  MIDDLE  WAY 

HUNG  JEN,  the  fifth  patriarch  of  the 
Dhyana  sect  in  China,  who  died  in 
675  A.  D.,  had  many  disciples.  One  day  he 
made  an  announcement  to  them,  saying  that 
whoever  was  capable  of  giving  a  satisfactory 
proof  of  his  thorough  comprehension  of  Bud- 
dhism would  succeed  him  in  religious  authority. 
And  its  outcome  was  the  following  two  stanzas, 
the  first  by  one  of  his  most  learned  disciples  and 
the  second  by  his  humble  rice-pounder,  who, 
however,  was  awarded  the  prize  and  came  to 
be  known  later  as  the  sixth  patriarch. 

"The  body  is  the  holy  Bodhi  tree, 
The  mind  is  like  a  mirror  shining  bright; 
Exert  yourself  to  keep  them  always  clean, 
And  never  let  the  dust  accumulate." 

*  *         * 

"  No  holy  tree  exists  as  Bodhi  known, 
No  mirror  shining  bright  is  standing  here; 
Since  there  is  nothing  from  the  very  first, 
Where  can  the  dust  itself  accumulate?" 

*  *         * 

The  thesis  I  am  going  to  expound  this  evening 
is  that  these  two  views  of  Buddhism  must  be 
reconciled  and  harmonized  in  order  to  walk  on 
the  middle  path  of  truth.  But  before  doing  so 

90 


THE   MIDDLE   WAY  QI 

let  me  acquaint  you  with  the  story  of  the  blind 
men  and  the  elephant. 

There  was  once  a  powerful  king  in  India,  who 
called  all  his  blind  retainers  together  to  his 
court,  and  then  brought  out  one  of  his  largest 
elephants  before  them,  asking  what  they  thought 
of  it.  Being  born  blind,  of  course  they- .'.had 
never  seen  an  elephant,  and  now  in  obedience 
to  the  royal  command  they  all  came  around  the 
animal.  Each  of  them  touched  only  a  certain 
portion  of  the  huge  body  and  came  to  the  hasty 
conclusion  that  the  portion  he  handled  was 
really  the  entirety  of  the  beast. 

Those  that  touched  the  tail  thought  the  ele- 
phant was  like  a  broom;  those  that  touched  the 
leg  thought  it  resembled  a  huge  column;  those 
that  touched  the  back  imagined  the  elephant 
had  a  body  with  the  shape  of  a  gigantic  drum; 
those  that  handled  the  ear  thought  it  reminded 
them  of  the  wing  of  a  bird;  those  that  touched 
the  tusk  thought  it  had  the  shape  of  a  flail. 
Though  thus  none  of  them  could  describe  the 
complete  and  exact  figure  of  the  elephant,  each 
was  narrow-minded  enough  to  insist  on  the 
verity  of  his  testimony.  The  king  was  very 
much  amused  to  see  how  utterly  they  failed  to 
comprehend  the  object  and  how  fruitless  their 
quarreling  was. 

Even  so,  says  the  Buddha,  is  the  way  most 
of  us  look  at  the  truth  and  quarrel  over  it. 
Buddhists  may  think  that  Buddhism  is  the  whole 


Q2       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

truth  and  that  all  other  religions  are  nothing 
but  superstition  and  prejudice;  while  Christians 
will  imagine  that  their  religion  is  the  only  thing 
in  the  world,  that  they  are  monopolizing  the 
divine  grace,  and  that  therefore  all  other  teach- 
ings are  impostures  and  idolatries  and  heathen- 
isms. The  adherents  of  Mohammedanism  may 
also  be  convinced  of  their  absolute  possession 
of  God;  and  so  with  all  the  other  religious  sys- 
tems of  the  world.  Indeed,  every  religion  is 
disposed  to  consider  that  it  alone  and  no  one 
else  holds  the  key  to  Heaven  and  eternal  life; 
and  on  account  of  this  conviction  religionists 
are  ever  ready  to  denounce  each  other  with 
bitterness  hardly  worthy  of  their  profession  and 
dignity.  But  to  get  at  the  real  truth  of  things 
we  must  shake  off  all  these  prejudices  and 
endeavor  to  comprehend  the  truth  as  a  whole 
and  be  always  humble  and  broad-minded  and 
tolerant. 

Now  to  return  to  the  subject.  These  two 
stanzas  recited  at  the  beginning  are  suited,  I 
believe,  to  illustrate  in  a  way  my  point  just 
made;  that  is,  to  obtain  a  comprehensive  view 
of  truth  it  is  not  enough  to  know  only  one  side 
of  the  shield,  but  we  must  turn  it  around  and 
see  the  reverse,  as  one  is  complementary  to  the 
other.  Judging  superficially,  the  two  stanzas 
appear  to  be  directly  contradicting  each  other, 
for  while  one  advocates  the  strenuous  life  the 
other  seems  to  be  tending  to  nihilism  and  liber- 


THE   MIDDLE   WAY  93 

tinism.  In  my  opinion,  however,  Buddhism  would 
be  incomprehensible  if  these  two  apparently 
antagonizing  views  were  not  synthesized  and 
harmoniously  blended.  To  take  hold  of  only 
one  of  these  and  to  think  that  it  comprises  the 
whole  of  Buddhism  will  be  committing  the  same 
error  as  the  blind  men  in  the  story  of  the  elephant. 

Those  two  stanzas  are  the  two  wings  of  a  bird, 
or  the  two  wheels  of  a  cart,  or,  perhaps  more 
exactly,  one  is  like  the  eye  and  the  other  the 
legs.  With  the  eye  we  can  see,  but  we  cannot 
move,  as  we  have  no  legs;  with  the  legs  we  are 
able  to  move,  but  we  are  blind,  as  we  are  without 
sight.  From  the  standpoint  of  absolute  truth, 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  mind  or  matter  or  even 
God  or  universe.  But  if  we  confine  ourselves  to 
this  view  and  become  blind  to  the  other  side, 
which  says  that  the  many  exists,  that  the  world 
actually  is,  we  are  like  the  man  who  has  no  legs; 
we  are  unable  to  move,  we  cannot  carry  ourselves, 
we  are  helpless,  we  cannot  live  our  daily  life. 
Philosophical  insight  may  be  far-reaching  enough, 
but  it  is  contentless,  it  lacks  the  material  on 
which  to  work.  Therefore,  we  must  look  at  the 
other  side  and  see  how  our  practical  life  is  to  be 
regulated;  we  must  see  how  our  legs  are  fixed, 
whether  they  are  strong  enough  to  take  us 
where  the  eye  is  directing. 

Again,  we  must  not  forget  that  practical  disci- 
pline alone  does  not  lead  us  to  the  abode  of  final 
enlightenment.  It  is  very  excellent  not  to 


94  SERMONS   OF  A   BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

neglect  the  cleaning  of  the  mirror,  the  purifying 
of  the  mind,  which  is  likely  all  the  time  to  collect 
the  dust  of  passion  on  it.  But  if  we  fail  to  see 
that  a  merely  conventional,  superficial  purifica- 
tion is  very  much  like  groping  in  the  dark  without 
the  knowledge  of  the  import  of  existence,  our 
spiritual  horizon  will  draw  itself  within  narrow 
limits  like  a  snail  retiring  within  the  shell,  and 
we  may  lose  our  original,  intrinsic,  spontaneous 
freedom  and  tranquillity,  which  belong  to  the 
mind  by  its  own  constitution;  we  may  put  our- 
selves under  an  unnecessary  yoke,  moving  only 
within  a  prescribed  circle.  In  other  words,  we 
may  lose  simplicity,  naturalness,  ease  of  move- 
ment in  all  our  thinkings  and  doings. 

In  what  follows  I  will  consider  the  teaching  of 
Buddhism  as  stated  in  those  two  stanzas  harmo- 
niously viewed. 

The  first  stanza  begins  with  the  line,  "The 
body  is  the  holy  Bodhi  tree."  In  this,  our  body 
is  compared  to  the  sacredness  of  the  Bodhi  tree 
under  which  the  founder  of  Buddhism  attained 
his  spiritual  enlightenment  and  laid  down  the 
foundation  of  his  system.  The  body,  however 
evanescent  in  its  character,  must  be  considered 
holy  even  as  the  holy  tree,  and  all  the  necessary 
care  should  be  taken  to  keep  it  the  worthy  vessel 
in  which  the  spirit  is  lodged.  There  are  many 
fanatic  believers  in  asceticism  and  self -mortifica- 
tion, thinking  that  this  material  existence  is  the 
root  of  evil  and  therefore  the  more  is  it  tortured 


THE   MIDDLE   WAY  95 

the  purer  and  holier  will  grow  the  spirit.  The 
flesh  is  in  its  very  nature  antagonistic  to  the 
spirit.  They  cannot  thrive  in  harmonious  rela- 
tion with  each  other.  The  stronger  the  flesh 
the  weaker  the  spirit,  and  vice  versa.  The  line, 
"The  body  is  the  holy  Bodhi  tree,"  is  directed 
against  those  who  hold  this  kind  of  view.  That 
is  to  say,  Buddhism  does  not  espouse  any  ascetic 
practice,  nor  does  it  hold  a  doctrine  tending  to 
a  dualistic  conception  of  existence  which  makes 
the  flesh  the  source  of  evil  and  the  spirit  the 
foundation  of  everything  good.  The  body  as  a 
material  phenomenon  has  its  limitations,  as  a 
living  organism  has  its  impulses,  desires,  pas- 
sions, and  moods;  and  there  is  nothing  evil  or 
wicked  in  it.  It  is  thirsty  and  it  must  drink; 
it  is  hungry  and  it  must  be  fed.  Exposure  in 
cold  affects  its  well-being  and  it  must  be  clothed. 
Too  much  strenuosity  exhausts  its  energy  and 
it  must  rest.  All  these  things  are  inherent  in  it, 
and  unless  we  demand  that  the  tree  grow  as  the 
fish,  as  a  Japanese  saying  goes,  it  is  altogether 
irrational  to  wish  our  bodily  existence  to  be  free 
from  all  its  constitutional  wants.  Therefore, 
Buddhism  teaches  us  not  to  curb  them  and 
torture  the  body,  but  to  regulate  them  and 
prevent  their  going  to  self-destruction  through 
wantonness. 

The  second  line  reads,  "The  mind  is  like  a 
mirror  shining  bright."  This  may  suggest,  when 
contrasted  with  the  first  line,  a  dualistic  con- 


96       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

ception  of  our  existence,  making  mind  inde- 
pendent of  body.  But  I  am  not  going  to 
enter  into  this  complicated  problem, — the  prob- 
lem of  mind  and  body,  whether  they  are  one  or 
separate.  For  convenience'  sake,  I  take  the 
mind  as  the  subjective  aspect  of  the  body  and 
the  body  as  the  objective  aspect  of  the  mind. 
To  speak  more  popularly,  the  mind  is  the  inner 
side  of  the  body  and  the  body  the  outer  case  of 
the  mind.  They  both  make  up  one  solid  reality. 
Within,  it  is  felt  as  consciousness;  without,  it 
is  perceived  as  body.  Now,  this  body  is  sacred 
as  the  Bodhi  tree,  and  every  care  has  to  be  taken 
for  its  well-being.  So  with  the  mind:  it  must 
be  kept  perfectly  free  from  the  dirty  particles 
of  passion,  it  must  be  made  to  retain  its  original 
purity  through  moral  discipline. 

The  mind  as  it  first  came  from  the  hands  of 
God  was  pure,  simple,  illuminating  as  the  mirror. 
But  in  its  constant  contact  with  the  world  of 
sense,  it  has  become  liable  to  be  carried  away 
by  its  impressions  and  impulses  without  ever 
reminding  itself  of  its  original  immaculacy. 
What  comes  from  outside  does  not,  of  course, 
defile  the  mind,  but  when  the  latter  loses  its  own 
control  and  gives  way  to  sensuality,  the  dust 
begins  to  accumulate  on  it.  When  its  trans- 
parency is  thus  gone,  the  mind  becomes  a  play- 
thing of  all  chance  impulses  and  haphazard 
impressions,  like  a  river-ark  drifting  in  the  ocean 
and  being  tossed  up  and  down  by  the  capricious 


THE   MIDDLE   WAY  97 

waves.  Buddhism  calls  such  a  one  ignorant 
and  wanting  in  the  Bodhi  (wisdom).  It  there- 
fore admonishes  us  to  reflect  within  ourselves 
constantly  and  not  to  give  a  free  rein  to  the 
sensual,  selfish,  unenlightened  passions.  The 
reason  why  Buddhism  has  so  many  moral  pre- 
cepts and  monastic  rules  to  regulate  the  lives 
of  lay  disciples  and  monks  will  now  be  under- 
stood. They  are  all  intended  for  the  purification 
of  the  mind  and  the  regulation  of  bodily  desires. 
They  are  all  meant  to  ward  off  the  evil  influences 
that  disturb  serenity  of  mind  and  simplicity  of 
heart,  in  order  that  our  divine  nature  residing 
within  us  may  fulfil  its  own  significance  and  be 
free  in  its  own  operations.  Buddhism  does  not 
desire  to  impede  in  any  way  our  rational  activ- 
ities on  account  of  those  moral  regulations, 
but  simply  to  check  the  progress  of  evil  desires, 
selfish  impulses,  and  unenlightened  motives. 

So  far  we  have  dealt  with  the  ethical  and 
practical  phase  of  Buddhism  as  enunciated  in  the 
first  stanza.  Now  we  must  go  round  and  see 
what  is  the  other  side  of  Buddhism,  which  con- 
stitutes the  philosophical  foundation  of  the 
system.  It  is  not  enough  for  us,  it  is  not  worthy 
of  the  name  of  a  human  being,  merely  to  live 
and  not  to  endeavor  to  unravel  the  mysteries 
of  life.  As  a  rational,  conscious  being,  we  must 
look  into  the  reason  of  things,  we  must  know  the 
why  of  existence.  To  live  even  as  a  saint  is  not 
quite  gratifying  to  the  intellectual  cravings  of 


98       SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

the  human  mind.  Of  course,  every  religion  must 
find  its  culmination  in  our  practical  life  and 
not  in  our  abstract  speculation.  Yet  we  must 
seek  a  philosophical  basis  of  conduct.  And  Bud- 
dhism finds  this  in  the  second  stanza  cited  at 
the  beginning  of  this  discourse. 

At  the  first  blush  the  gatha  seems  to  smack 
not  a  little  of  nihilism,  as  it  apparently  denies 
the  existence  of  individuality.  But  those  who 
stop  short  at  this  negative  interpretation  of  it 
are  not  likely  to  grasp  the  deep  signification  of 
Buddhism.  For  Buddhism  teaches  in  this  gatha 
the  existence  of  the  highest  reality  that  tran- 
scends the  duality  of  body  and  mind  as  well  as 
the  limitations  of  time  and  space.  Though  this 
highest  reality  is  the  source  of  life,  the  ultimate 
reason  of  existence,  and  the  norm  of  things 
multifarious  and  multitudinous,  it  has  nothing 
particular  in  it,  it  cannot  be  designated  by  any 
determinative  terms,  it  refuses  to  be  expressed  in 
the  phraseology  we  use  in  our  common  parlance. 
Why?  For  it  is  an  absolute  unity,  and  there 
is  nothing  individual,  particular,  dualistic,  and 
conditional.  It  is  a  great  mistake,  an  intellectual 
weakness,  to  suppose  that  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  a  personal  God  or  an  immortal  soul  which 
stands  like  a  mirror  bright  and  shining  and 
which  is  susceptible  of  contamination  or  corrup- 
tion. For  practical  purposes  we  may  provision- 
ally admit  the  existence  of  an  entity  which  some 
people  call  God  and  which  is  independent  of  this 


THE   MIDDLE   WAY  99 

world;  we  may  again  admit  the  existence  of  the 
soul  which  is  the  master  of  this  material  phe- 
nomenon called  body.  But  to  understand  these 
things  as  actually  existing  as  our  short-sighted 
intellect  conceives  them  will  be  a  fatal  mistake. 

We  must  first  directly  comprehend  the  spir- 
itual reason  of  things,  and  then  let  us  with  this 
insight  look  upon  things  that  are  about  us.  It 
would  be  madness  to  deny  the  reality  of  the 
phenomenal  world,  but  in  the  midst  of  these 
realities  the  enlightened  see  their  non-reality. 
There  towers  a  huge  mountain,  here  lies  a  bound- 
less ocean,  birds  are  singing,  trees  are  growing, 
and  I  sit  here  looking  over  the  verdant  meadow; 
yet,  in  spite  of  all  these,  nay,  indeed  by  reason  of 
these,  I  believe  in  the  nothingness  of  existence, 
in  the  non-reality  of  realities,  and  in  the  abso- 
lute oneness  of  all  things ;  and  it  is  thereby  that  I 
gain  my  peace  of  mind  and  realize  the  sense  of 
perfect  freedom  in  my  everyday  life. 

All  those  moral  laws  and  religious  regulations 
which  I  at  first  found  unreasonably  fettering  my 
free  activity  are  now  blessings,  for  I  am  no  more 
than  those  laws  and  rules  themselves.  I  have 
become  master  of  them.  I  am  the  maker  of  all 
those  moral  laws,  and  my  existence  consists  in 
the  execution  of  them.  I  say  this,  my  dear 
Christian  audience,  and  then  ask  you,  "Does 
your  God  feel  himself  hampered  in  his  activity 
when  he  has  so  many  laws  of  nature  to  observe? 
Does  he,  for  instance,  complain  of  the  law  of 


100  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

gravity  when  he  wants  an  apple  to  drop  on  the 
ground?"  Is  he  not  perfectly  free  in  following 
the  laws  of  nature?  and  are  we  not  made  in  his 
image?  I  see,  then,  no  obstacles,  no  hampering, 
no  discordant  jarring  in  my  following  the  laws 
of  my  being.  And  hereby  we  go  back  to  the 
first  stanza  of  moral  discipline.  We  find  now  the 
middle  course  of  truth,  a  complete  harmonization 
of  rigorism  and  naturalism,  as  the  principles 
advocated  by  those  two  stanzas  may  respectively 
be  so  termed. 

At  first  we  had  a  feeling  of  compulsion  and 
restraint,  but  now  at  the  mastery  of  the  second 
stanza  we  have  philosophical  intuition  and  feel 
perfectly  at  ease.  We  move  as  we  will,  yet  we 
do  not  transgress.  Our  conduct,  when  our 
spiritual  enlightenment  reaches  this  stage,  is  in 
complete  accord  with  the  reason  of  heaven  and 
earth,  for  we  are  now  identified  with  it.  From 
the .  start  our  religious  discipline  has  been  to 
attain  this  ease,  this  freedom,  this  simplicity, 
this  spirituality,  and  we  have  at  last  reached 
the  goal  and  are  at  rest.  The  bird  has  acquired 
two  strong  wings,  the  cart  is  supplied  with  a 
pair  of  running  wheels,  and  we  have  the  eyes 
that  see  and  the  legs  that  walk.  There  is  nothing 
now  in  this  life  that  will  possibly  cause  vexation 
of  spirit  or  the  gnashing  of  teeth  and  the  palpi- 
tation of  heart. 


THE  WHEEL  OF  THE  GOOD  LAW 

BUDDHISM  is  a  religion  which  originated 
in  India  some  five  hundred  years  before 
the  Christian  Era.  Its  founder  was  Siddhartha 
Gautama,  of  royal  lineage,  who,  becoming  dis- 
satisfied with  the  life  he  was  born  to  enjoy, 
turned  away  from  all  forms  of  ease  and  luxury 
which  surrounded  him.  He  retired  into  the 
Himalaya  Mountains  when  he  was  nineteen 
years  old,  or,  according  to  another  tradition,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-nine.  He  then  devoted  himself 
to  penance  and  mortification,  which  was  at  the 
time  considered  a  necessary  discipline  for  those 
who  sought  wisdom  and  enlightenment.  He 
visited  many  saints  and  philosophers  whose 
virtue  and  wisdom  were  recognized  by  the 
people.  Some  years  of  rigorous  ascetic  life 
passed,  and  he  was  acknowledged  by  his  religious 
comrades  as  their  spiritual  leader.  But  Gautama 
himself  was  not  satisfied  with  this,  because  he 
was  quite  convinced  that  asceticism  was  not  at 
all  conducive  to  moral  culture  and  spiritual 
enlightenment.  He  then  altogether  abandoned 
the  practice  of  fasting  and  other  modes  of  self- 
torture,  and  for  taking  this  course  of  life  he  was 


IO2  SERMONS   OP   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

deserted  by  bis  comrades.  But  his  conviction 
and  'de termination  were  not  to  be  shaken  by 
such  trifling  affairs;  he  kept  on  following  what 
he  thought  would  help  him  best  to  attain  to 
wisdom  and  enlightenment. 

After  several  years  of  deep  meditation  he 
awoke  one  morning  under  the  Bodhi  tree  and 
most  clearly  perceived  the  way  of  enlightenment. 
He  was  now  no  more  Gautama,  a  royal  prince,  but 
a  Buddha,  the  enlightened  one.  He  was  so  over- 
joyed with  the  revelation  that  he  spent  about  a 
week  most  profoundly  absorbed  in  contempla- 
tion, and  it  is  even  said  that  he  was  not  at  all 
inclined  to  come  out  of  his  transcendental  ecstasy 
and  self -reflection  and  to  engage  in  active  propa- 
ganda work  in  the  world.  But  in  the  meantime 
his  great  compassionate  heart  asserted  itself. 
His  thought  turned  toward  the  miserable  spir- 
itual conditions  under  which  his  former  asso- 
ciates were  laboring  and  from  which  he  was  now 
completely  free.  He  went  back  to  the  woods 
where  they  were  living.  At  first,  they  were 
disposed  to  deride  their  former  leader,  but  as  he 
approached  his  serene  countenance  and  majestic 
demeanor  completely  unnerved  them,  and  they 
prostrated  themselves  before  him  and  asked  his 
instruction.  They  were  all  converted  to  his 
view  and  came  to  enjoy  the  real  bliss  of  life  and 
enlightenment . 

Buddha  now  thought  of  the  world  at  large: 
"  Though  the  masses  are  wretchedly  struggling 


THE  WHEEL   OF  THE   GOOD   LAW  103 

under  delusion,  prejudice,  narrow-mindedness, 
bigotry,  and  superstition,  there  must  be  some 
in  the  world  who  are  open  to  conviction,  seeking 
the  light  of  Dharma,  Good  Law,  and  those  must 
be  saved  by  all  means.  If  they  become  enlight- 
ened, they  will  be  able  to  perpetuate  my  teaching, 
posterity  will  learn  through  them  of  wisdom  and 
enlightenment,  and  the  truth  will  not  be  lost 
among  sentient  beings."  Thus  resolved,  the 
Buddha  came  out  into  the  world  and  made  Deer 
Park  in  Central  India  the  place  of  his  first  mis- 
sionary activity.  In  describing  this  event,  the 
Buddhists  say  that  the  Wheel  of  the  Good  Law, 
Dharmachakra,  has  been  caused  to  revolve  in 
this  place  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
mankind,  marking  the  formal  establishment  of 
Buddhism. 

The  Buddha's  long  life  of  near  ninety  years 
consisted  in  never-tiring  peregrinations  along 
the  banks  of  the  Ganges  and  over  the  plains  of 
Central  India.  He  died  while  thus  traveling, 
and  there  were  present  at  the  time  only  a  few 
of  his  disciples  surrounding  his  death-bed.  His 
body  was  cremated  and  distributed  among  eight 
principal  Buddhist  kings  of  India  who  wished 
to  honor  their  spiritual  benefactor,  each  by 
erecting  a  splendid  stupa  or  pagoda  over  his 
earthly  remains. 

*  *  * 

Having  thus  roughly  sketched  the  life  of  the 
founder  of  Buddhism,  we  ask  now  what  is  the 


104  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

Wheel  of  the  Good  Law  caused  by  him  to  revolve 
more  than  twenty-four  centuries  ago. 

The  most  powerful  motive  that  influenced 
Buddha,  who  was  a  royal  prince,  to  abandon  all 
his  claims  to  the  earthly  advantages  and  to  live 
a  monkish,  retiring,  contemplative  life,  was  his 
deep  insight  into  the  nature  of  life.  He  knew  that 
life  as  it  is  lived  by  most  of  sentient  beings  was 
no  more  than  a  series  of  sufferings,  for  in  trying 
to  escape  one  misery  they  invariably  fall  into 
another  misery  which  is  perhaps  greater  and 
heavier  to  endure.  He  asked  himself  whether 
this  misery  could  be  exterminated.  To  ascertain 
this  it  was  necessary  to  find  out  the  real  funda- 
mental cause  of  it  all.  The  removal  of  the  cause 
was  the  removal  of  the  effect. 

In  Ignorance  he  found  the  cause  of  misery 
that  surrounds  and  oppresses  us,  sentient  beings. 

People  are  ignorant  as  to  the  real  significance 
of  existence;  they  blindly  crave  for  it  and  its 
continuance  merely  for  its  own  enjoyment;  they 
do  not  know  what  destiny  is  awaiting  them  at 
the  end  of  their  earthly  career;  they  do  not 
know  how  pregnant  of  meaning  is  their  every 
act,  their  every  thought,  their  every  feeling; 
they  do  not  know  under  what  conditions  a  phe- 
nomenon called  life  is  possible,  and  finally  they 
have  a  very  confused  notion  concerning  the  true 
nature  of  the  soul  which  they  identify  with  the 
ego,  simple,  permanent,  and  absolute.  On 
account  of  this  ignorance,  they  suffer ;  on  account 


THE   WHEEL   OF  THE   GOOD   LAW  105 

of  this  ignorance,  they  keep  on  augmenting  the 
causes  of  misery,  and  are  unable  to  see  the  light 
of  wisdom. 

Buddha  declares,  there  is  no  doubt  that  life 
is  suffering,  but  it  also  affords  enjoyment.  The 
Buddhist  life,  however,  is  not  to  cling  to  either, 
for  its  real  purpose  is  above  the  concatenation  of 
pain  and  pleasure,  sorrow  and  joy.  Let  us  first 
be  enlightened  and  not  deviate  from  the  path  of 
righteousness,  and  we  are  saved. 

The  world  in  which  we  abide  is  a  world  of 
contrasts;  the  life  we  live  is  a  life  of  opposites. 
We  have  the  day  and  the  night,  we  have  the 
spring  and  the  fall,  we  have  men  and  women. 
Some  are  young,  others  are  old;  some  are  just 
breathing  their  last,  others  have  now  come  to 
the  world.  The  elements  attract  and  repulse 
one  another.  The  moon  waxes  and  wanes. 
The  waves  are  rising  and  receding.  The  stars 
are  running  toward  one  another  and  running 
away  from  one  another.  This  is  the  world  of 
constant  change,  of  eternal  motion,  where  takes 
place  a  never-ending  interaction  of  forces.  It  is 
one  force  or  one  set  of  forces  now  that  predomi- 
nates, and  then  another.  The  point  of  concen- 
tration is  eternally  shifting.  This  is  the  actual 
experience  of  life  and  also  its  necessary  condition. 

Therefore,  they  will  come  inevitably  to  grief 
— they  that  disregard  this  experience  and  con- 
dition of  life,  they  that  seek  in  this  world  nothing 
but  an  everlasting  continuation  of  pleasant, 


106  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

agreeable  sensations.  They  want  to  live,  and 
they  do  not  know  that  their  living  is  really  their 
death.  This  contradiction  causes  them  an  im- 
measurable amount  of  suffering.  Apparently 
they  are  living,  that  is,  they  are  moving  bodily 
in  the  world  of  contrasts  and  opposites,  of  pleas- 
ures and  pains,  of  sorrows  and  joys,  of  good  and 
evil;  and  yet  they  want  to  escape  from  this 
actual  state  of  things,  they  want  to  enter  into  a 
region  where  they  have  only  monotony,  stag- 
nation, and  abeyance,  and  even  extinction. 
For  are  they  not  trying  to  keep  the  pendulum  of 
life  always  up  on  one  side  only?  The  pendulum 
owes  its  existence  to  a  constant  swinging  from 
one  side  to  the  other.  When  this  is  stopped,  it 
ceases  to  be  itself  and  exists  no  more.  To  live 
is  to  move,  to  change,  to  walk  up  and  down, 
to  come  in  and  out,  to  enjoy  and  to  suffer,  to 
smile  and  to  weep.  To  refuse  to  do  so  is  simply 
courting  death.  Life  is  a  fabric  interwoven 
with  the  woof  of  pain  and  the  warp  of  pleasure. 
It  cannot  be  a  monotonous  series  of  pleasures, 
nor  that  of  pains.  Therefore,  to  enjoy  life  is  not 
to  crave  for  agreeable  stimulations  alone,  nor  is  it 
to  shun  evils.  It  is  to  be  above  them,  both 
pain  and  pleasure.  It  is  to  use  the  world,  as  not 
abusing  it,  to  state  it  from  the  Christian  point 
of  view. 

But  many  are  they  that  are  ignorant  of  this 
our  actual  experience  of  life.  How  hard  they 
endeavor  to  create  as  much  pleasure  as  they  can 


THE   WHEEL   OF   THE   GOOD   LAW  107 

and  to  cling  to  it  as  long  as  they  can,  utterly 
regardless  of  the  true  meaning  of  life!  But  it 
is  altogether  outside  of  their  power  to  check  the 
approaching  shadow  of  misery  which  gradually 
and  stealthily  but  surely  envelops  them  in  the 
end.  The  greater  the  joy  of  the  moment,  the 
stronger  its  reverse.  For  where  the  mountains 
are  high,  the  seas  are  deep ;  and  the  blackness  of 
a  raven  looks  blacker  in  the  whiteness  of  snow. 
It  is  therefore  well  to  remind  these  hedonists  of 
the  necessary  condition  of  life,  that  there  is  no 
pleasure  that  is  not  mingled  with  pain,  that  there 
is  no  bliss  which  can  be  obtained  without  struggle. 
Whatever  blind  pleasure-seekers  think  to  be 
bliss  or  curse  is  no  other  than  the  products  of 
sensualism  and  egoism,  so  long  as  they  are 
bound  with  the  iron  chain  of  ignorance.  Their 
deeds,  sentiments,  and  thoughts  have  no  moral 
or  religious  significance  whatever.  Their  lives 
are  like  the  bubbles  or  foam  that  vanish  without 
leaving  any  mark  on  the  water.  They  die  just 
as  they  are  born,  blind,  ignorant,  and  benighted. 
Life,  according  to  Buddhism,  is  worth  living, 
because  it  enables  us  to  do  something,  because  it 
gives  us  a  chance  to  work,  to  apply  ourselves, 
because  it  is  the  condition  which  makes  possible 
the  realization  of  our  moral  and  spiritual  aspira- 
tions. Even  if  it  is  thought  by  some  to  be 
worth  living  because  it  supplies  us  with  pleasures 
of  passing  moments  or  because  it  is  desirable  for 
its  own  sake,  Buddhists  will  not  hesitate  to  sur- 


108      SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

render  their  lives  once  for  all  and  will  most 
gladly  be  absorbed  in  the  eternal  abyss  of  death. 
Life  has  nothing  in  itself  worth  clinging  to,  if 
it  did  not  promise  us  an  opportunity  to  work. 
As  sentient,  conscious  beings  that  we  are,  it 
would  be  most  degrading  in  us  to  live  the  life 
of  a  stone,  to  exist  just  for  the  sake  of  existence 
and  for  no  other  purpose. 

All  conscientious  Buddhists  realize  that  there 
are  laws,  natural  as  well  as  spiritual,  in  this 
universe,  and  that  those  who  dare  to  infringe 
upon  them  are  unerringly  and  even  mercilessly 
punished  therefor.  It  does  not  make  any  differ- 
ence that  this  infringement  is  unknowingly  or 
knowingly  done,  nor  does  it  help  the  violator  to 
ask  for  a  special  grace.  An  evil  act  is  committed, 
and  the  universe  is  sorrowful  for  it,  as  it  retards 
so  much  the  progress  and  realization  of  goodness. 
But  it  will  not  let  the  evil-doer  go  unpunished. 
Therefore,  this  existence  has  a  purpose  to  attain, 
an  end  to  reach,  an  ideal  to  manifest;  and  all 
beings  animate  and  inanimate  are  working  for 
this  universal  goal.  Our  limited  consciousness 
may  not  have  a  very  clear  conception  as  to  every 
phase  of  the  significance  of  life,  but  all  enlight- 
ened minds  are  aware  of  this,  that  life  is  not  for 
mere  living,  but  that  it  is  the  path  which  leads 
to  goodness,  suchness,  and  oneness.  The  moral 
and  spiritual  laws  are  instrumental  for  these 
causes,  and  as  long  as  we  are  moving  in  confor- 
mity to  the  laws  of  conduct,  we  are  promoting  the 


THE   WHEEL   OF   THE   GOOD   LAW  IOQ 

noble,  worthy  ideals,  and  our  duties  of  life  are 
thereby  discharged.  Pleasures  and  pains,  joys 
and  sorrows  are  merely  accidents  of  life.  They 
do  not  enter  into  its  essential  fabric.  And  con- 
sequently they  are  ignored  by  the  Buddhists. 
They  are  not  taken  into  any  serious  consideration 
in  the  determination  or  selection  of  duties  of 
life. 

Therefore,  let  us  work,  let  us  develop  all  our 
possibilities ;  not  for  ourselves,  but  for  our  fellow- 
creatures.  Let  us  be  enlightened  in  our  efforts, 
let  us  strive  after  the  general  welfare  of  humanity 
and  indeed  of  all  creations.  We  are  born  here 
to  do  certain  things.  Life  may  be  misery  or  not ; 
it  concerns  us  not;  let  us  do  what  we  have  to  do. 
We  are  not  here  wholly  alone,  we  are  not  the 
center  of  the  universe,  everything  is  not  coming 
to  us.  But  our  existence  is  conditioned.  The 
fact  that  we  are  here  at  all  is  due  to  our  mutual 
support  and  dependence.  We  cannot  save  our- 
selves unless  others  are  saved.  We  cannot 
advance  unless  the  general  progress  is  assured. 
We  must  help  one  another,  we  must  abandon 
our  vulgar  ego-centric  ideas,  we  must  expand 
ourselves  so  that  the  entire  universe  is  identified 
with  us,  and  so  that  our  interests  are  those  of 
humanity.  It  is  therefore  most  evident  that  the 
assertion  of  the  self-will  and  the  giving  way  to 
the  clamors  of  the  ego-soul  is  against  the  reason 
of  life.  The  attainment  of  Nirvana  and  the 
manifestation  of  the  Buddhist  life  is  possible 


110      SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

only  through  the  denial  of  selfhood  and  through 
the  united  labor  of  all  our  brother  creatures. 

This  is  the  doctrine  proclaimed  by  the  Buddha 
after  many  years  of  profound  meditation  on  the 
bank  of  the  Ganges,  and  constitutes  the  essence 
of  the  Wheel  of  the  Good  Law  which  has  been  in 
fact  revolving  ever  since  the  dawn  of  sentiency. 

The  statements  above  made  are  usually  put 
down  in  formula  and  called  the  Fourfold  Noble 
Truth;  viz.,  (i)  Life  is  suffering,  (2)  There  is 
cause  for  it,  which  is  ignorance,  (3)  Nirvana, 
which  transcends  pain  and  pleasure,  is  the  goal 
of  our  life,  and  (4)  To  reach  it  the  moral  laws 
must  be  put  into  practice.1 

*As  for  what  is  the  practical  ethics  of  Buddhism,  read 
the  article  entitled  "Buddhist  Ethics."  (P.  69.) 


THE  PHENOMENAL  AND  THE  SUPRA- 
PHENOMENAL1 

Anicca  vata  sankhara, 
Uppadavaya  dhammino; 
Uppajjitva  nirujjanti; 
Tesam  vupasamo  sukho.2 

BEFORE  entering  upon  an  exposition  of  this 
stanza    which    I    have     selected    for     the 
subject  of  this  morning's  discourse,   I   wish  to 
make    a    short    preliminary    remark    concerning 
Buddhism  generally. 

In  the  study  of  Buddhism,  one  important 
thing  which  should  be  borne  in  mind  by  scholars 
is  that  the  religion  of  Buddha  has  nothing  to  do 
with  supernaturalism.  Adhering  to  facts  and 
their  plain  statements,  Buddhists  are  always 
reluctant  to  give  themselves  away  to  personal 
authority  or  supernatural — which  is,  in  fact, 
unnatural — revelation.  Buddhism  may  there- 
fore appear  to  some  people  rather  flat,  prosaic, 

*A  sermon   delivererd  at  the   Buddhist   Mission  of    San 
Francisco,  November,  1905. 
translated  into  English : 

Transitory,  verily,  are  things, 
Subject  to  law  of  birth  and  death; 
Things  born  are  doomed  to  die; 
Their  termination  is  bliss, 
in 


112  SERMONS    OF   A    BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

and  unentertaining,  lacking  in  the  fertility  and 
brilliancy  of  imagination — though  this  is  by  no 
means  the  case — and  they  call  it  sometimes  a 
sort  of  ethical  culture  society  and  not  a  religious 
institution.  For  they  think  that  no  religion  can 
exist  without  a  belief  in  something  extraordi- 
nary, miraculous,  or  supramundane  which  cannot 
be  logically  proved  and  individually  experi- 
enced. But  Buddha  most  emphatically  insists 
that  what  he  teaches  is  nothing  unusual,  being 
simply  the  recognition  of  a  plain  fact  which  can 
be  attested  by  every  mortal,  that  truth  is  not 
revealed  to  us  from  an  unknown  source,  but  is 
discovered  by  ourselves  through  the  exercise  of 
a  faculty  that  can  be  acquired  by  all  self-conscious 
beings,  and  that  Buddhism  is  to  be  believed 
rationally  and  not  blindly,  to  be  believed  because 
it  is  true  and  not  because  it  has  been  proclaimed 
by  some  mythical  personage.  Whatever  defects 
the  teaching  of  Buddha  may  possess,  I  consider 
its  rationality  and  matter-of-factness  as  one  of 
its  most  characteristic  and  important  features, 
distinguishing  it  from  many  another  religion. 

Further,  this  rationality  of  Buddhism  is  per- 
haps one  of  the  many  causes  which  make  Bud- 
dhists remarkably  tolerant  and  broad-minded 
toward  their  rival  religionists.  It  is  the  pride 
of  every  conscientious  Buddhist  that  the  history 
of  his  faith  is  perfectly  free  from  the  stain  of 
blood.  When  we  of  modern  days  turn  over  the 
pages  of  religious  cruelty  and  barbarism,  we  are 


THE   SUPRA-PHENOMENAL  113 

struck  with  a  bitter  sense  of  irony.  It  seems 
incredible  that  a  religion  proclaiming  the  gospel 
of  love  could  practise  such  inhumanity.  But 
I  regret  to  say  that  even  to-day  there  are  some 
who  are  so  hopelessly  dogmatic  and  fanatical 
as  to  think  that  the  rose  could  be  sweet  and 
fragrant  only  under  its  own  name,  that  truth 
loses  its  worth  and  verity  when  known  by  any 
other  name  than  their  own,  and  that  they  would 
fight  even  unto  death  in  order  to  replace  one 
set  of  superstitions  with  another. 

Science  is  steadily  making  its  progress  in 
various  fields  of  human  knowledge,  and  our  intel- 
lectual sphere  is  being  constantly  widened; 
while  pious,  God-fearing  religionists  are  still 
dreaming  of  the  by-gone  days,  when  their  fore- 
fathers were  engaged  in  the  so-called  holy  wars, 
or  when  they  were  conducting  the  most  atrocious, 
most  diabolical  outrage  against  humanity  called 
the  Inquisition.  These  facts  often  make  me  pause 
and  think  of  their  ultimate  significance,  wondering 
how  slow  man's  progress  is  in  things  spiritual. 

However  this  may  be,  Buddhism  through  its 
rationality  and  matter-of-fact-ness  has  never 
been  intolerant  and  narrow-minded.  It  has 
always  borne  in  mind  that  howsoever  many 
avenues  there  may  be  to  the  summit  of  enlight- 
enment, the  position  once  gained  will  allow  us  all, 
regardless  of  racial  and  national  variations,  to 
see  but  one  universal  light  of  truth.  The  highest 
being  is  known  under  various  names  and  appel- 


114  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

lations  among  various  peoples  on  earth,  accord- 
ing to  their  culture,  education,  and  environment. 
Humanity,  being  essentially  the  same  everywhere, 
it  will  sooner  or  later  come  to  the  knowledge  of  a 
supreme  moral  and  spiritual  power  which  governs 
the  universe  and  whose  commands  we  are  com- 
pelled under  penalty  of  annihilation  to  respect 
and  obey.  Whatever  circumstances  may  lead  to 
a  difference  of  conception  as  to  the  details  of  its 
operation,  the  power  of  religion  is  fundamentally 
love, — love  that  does  not  exclude  nor  discrimi- 
nate nor  particularize;  and  this  kind  of  love  is 
realizable  only  when  we  recognize  naturally  and 
rationally  and  humanly  the  divinity  of  all  exist- 
ence and  the  universality  of  truth,  in  whatever 
divers  aspects  they  may  be  considered  and  by 
whatever  different  paths  they  may  be  approached. 

*  *  * 

Now  to  return  to  the  subject-proper  of  this 
discourse.  Buddhism  views  the  world  under 
two  aspects,  phenomenal  and  supra-phenomenal. 
In  the  phenomenal  world,  the  law  of  birth  and 
death  rules  supreme,  and  here  is  nothing  that 
will  endure  forever.  Everything  that  exists  under 
the  sun  is  fleeting;  it  passes  away  as  rapidly  as 
the  swift  ships  or  as  the  eagle  that  swoopeth  on 
the  prey.  The  sun  that  has  risen  will  set,  the 
mountains  so  towering  will  crumble,  the  turbulent 
ocean  will  be  drained,  and  the  earth  itself  will 
be  shaken  from  its  foundations.  That  which  has 
been  is  no  more,  and  that  which  is  is  changing 


THE   SUPRA-PHENOMENAL  115 

fast.  Indeed,  the  world  is  no  more  than  a  con- 
stant flux  of  becoming.  Therefore,  the  Buddha 
declares:  "Transitory,  verily,  are  things,  sub- 
ject to  the  law  of  birth  and  death;  and  things 
born  are  doomed  to  die." 

Mutability  or  impermanence  is  one  of  the  most 
universal  facts  of  the  world,  and  any  one  who 
has  his  eyes  wide  open  will  certainly  have  to 
recognize  it.  And  this  recognition,  when  logically 
carried  out,  will  again  certainly  lead  to  non- 
attachment;  and  non-attachment  will  in  turn 
bring  out  in  us  the  desire  for  immortality.  The 
reason  why  we  cling  to  worldliness  is  because 
we  are  not  thoroughly  acquainted  with  its  true 
character.  Its  superficiality,  its  vainglory,  its 
illusiveness,  its  butterfly-like  carelessness  and 
capriciousness, — all  this  seems  to  have  a  peculiar 
fascination  for  the  sensuous.  They  have  no  time 
to  reflect  deeply  on  the  nature  of  these  attrac- 
tions, for  they  find  themselves  hopelessly  involved 
in  the  whirlpool  of  vanities  before  they  can  at  all 
think  of  extricating  themselves  therefrom.  They 
look  aghast  at  those  who  remind  them  of  the 
mutability  of  things  and  of  the  evanescent  nature 
of  pleasures. 

We  can  well  imagine  how  desperate  is  the 
situation  of  an  undisciplined,  unreflective  mind 
that  almost  mechanically  pursues  objects  of  sense 
as  the  moth  follows  the  flame.  But  as  soon  as  the 
mind  is  awakened  to  the  real  state  of  the  phe- 
nomenal world,  it  is  unspeakably  mortified  at  its 


Il6  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

past  folly  and  infatuation,  and  it  will  gradually 
develop  the  desire  for  non-attachment  or  free- 
dom, in  which  it  becomes  estranged  from  its 
sensuous  surroundings. 

But  can  a  mortal  secure  anything  approaching 
eternity  in  this  phenomenal  realm?  If  every- 
thing here  is  subject  to  the  irrefragable  law  of 
birth  and  death,  we  cannot  in  any  way  give 
satisfaction  to  our  inner  craving  for  things  ever- 
lasting and  immortal.  Buddhism  knows  this  our 
spiritual  demand  and  teaches  us  that  there  exists 
a  region  which  is  supra-phenomenal  and  of  which 
the  spirit  can  drink  to  its  satiety. 

This  supra-phenomenal  world  has  no  material 
limitations  and  therefore  is  not  subject  to  the 
law  of  birth  and  death.  As  it  is  thus  transcen- 
dent, it  is  beyond  the  reach  of  pain  and  pleasure, 
which  is  the  pendulum  that  regulates  the  motive 
and  conduct  of  the  sensuous  man.  This  latter 
is  therefore  unable  to  have  even  a  glimpse  of  this 
heavenly  region  that  lies  beyond.  He  only  who 
has  freed  himself  from  the  shackle  of  phenom- 
enality  is  no  more  affected  by  its  mutability, 
and  he  is  said  to  be  living  on  the  higher  plane  of 
existence.  The  mountains  may  be  removed 
from  their  foundation,  and  the  oceans  may  be 
exhausted,  but  a  spiritual  man  will  be  above  all 
such  material  vicissitudes,  living  a  life  of  eternal 
peace.  He  calmly  reviews  the  course  of  exist- 
ence as  it  comes  and  disappears.  He  serenely 
abides  in  the  realm  of  supra-phenomenality.  He 


THE   SUPRA-PHENOMENAL  1 17 

sees  the  lamp  of  eternity  shining  through  the 
mist  of  transiency.  He  rises  from  the  howling 
tempest  of  birth  and  death.  Physically,  he  is, 
and  will  be  no  more,  but  spiritually  he  is  living 
forever,  unborn  and  imperishable.  Because  he 
has  founded  his  kingdom  in  the  Pure  Land; 
where  the  waves  of  being  and  non-being  beat 
no  more ;  where  the  veil  of  ignorance  and  misery 
no  longer  hangs  low;  where  the  transitoriness  of 
particulars  is  forever  gone;  where  love,  pure  and 
infinite,  embraces,  absorbs,  unifies  every  separate 
existence ;  and  where  joy  inexpressible  flows  from 
the  well  of  eternal  peace.  Therefore,  the  stanza 
above  recited  concludes  with  this  line:  "The 
termination  of  birth  and  death  is  bliss." 

*  *  * 

Now,  the  question  again  arises,  Is  this  supra- 
phenomenal  absolutely  separated  from  the  phe- 
nomenal world?  If  so,  how  can  we  of  the  latter 
ever  expect  or  aspire  to  raise  ourselves  to  the 
higher  level  of  existence?  If  not,  how  can  the 
supra-phenomenal  be  the  phenomenal,  and  vice 
versa,  seeing  that  they  each  have  apparently 
irreconcilable  characteristics?  Learned  Buddhist 
scholars  will  tell  us  how  the  identity  of  the  supra- 
phenomenal  and  the  phenomenal  can  be  meta- 
physically established,  and  that  our  mental  con- 
stitution demands  this  oneness,  or,  otherwise, 
a  dualism,  which  inevitably  results,  will  destroy 
the  fundamental  harmony  of  our  logical  reason- 
ing. But  we  who  are  aiming  at  the  practical 


Il8  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

result  of  religious  discipline  would  better  eschew 
the  theoretical  part  and  be  content  with  our 
inner  individual  experience.  We  would  best  avoid 
theorization  and  state  the  verdict  of  Buddhism 
on  this  problem  rather  dogmatically,  which  is: 
All  depends  upon  our  spiritual  condition.  If  it 
is  irreproachable  and  immaculate,  supra-phe- 
nomenal is  phenomenal,  phenomenal  is  supra- 
phenomenal.  Both  are  one  and  the  same.  Our 
earthly  life  is  most  exalted,  most  sacred,  most 
divine,  most  religious.  But  if  the  spirit  be  denied 
and  corrupted,  even  a  manifestly  holy  life  is  no 
more  than  gross  blasphemy.  All  hinges  on  how 
we  keep  the  spirit,  pure  or  impure.  Buddhism  is 
thus  thoroughly  idealistic,  as  every  true  religion 
ought  to  be.  It  teaches  the  purification  of  the 
heart  as  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  all  religious 
training. 

Therefore,  the  heart  holds  the  key  which  opens 
either  the  portal  of  sensuality  or  that  of  spir- 
ituality. In  fact,  these  different  portals  do  not 
exist  objectively.  The  universe  is  one  and  the 
same  for  the  just  as  well  as  for  the  unjust,  but 
they  approach  it  from  various  points  of  view 
and  color  it  with  their  own  inner  pigment.  Some 
are  ignorant  and  selfish,  and  they  interpret  life 
accordingly.  Others  are  simple-hearted  and 
defilement-free,  and  thus  they  read  the  world. 
Conventionally,  a  distinction  is  made  between 
the  two  worlds,  supra-phenomenal  and  phenom- 
enal, or  sensual  and  spiritual,  or  worldly  and 


THE   SUPRA-PHENOMENAL 

saintly;  in  reality  this  is  our  own  creation.  Let 
us  be  free  from  delusion  and  sensualism,  and 
things  will  present  themselves  in  their  own  true 
color  and  form. 

The  termination  of  birth  and  death,  pain  and 
pleasure,  desire  and  satisfaction,  in  short,  of  all 
sorts  of  dualism,  does  not  mean  to  escape  from  the 
world  and  to  lead  an  ascetic  life,  nor  does  it  mean 
to  commit  suicide  and  put  an  end  to  existence, 
which  is  thought  the  root  of  all  evil.  Buddhism 
understands  by  the  last  line  of  the  stanza  recited 
at  the  beginning  of  this  discourse  the  purification 
of  the  heart  from  all  its  selfish  desires  and  defiled 
sentiments  arising  from  ignorance  and  prejudice. 
For  the  self  is  no  more  than  an  illusory  existence, 
and  the  separation  of  "me"  from  "thee"  is  fata 
morgana,  and  those  who  believe  in  their  absolute 
reality  are  said  to  be  confused.  The  heart  essen- 
tially free  and  pure  becomes  contaminated  as 
soon  as  it  is  caught  in  the  meshes  of  egoism, 
and  the  result  is  the  production  of  the  three 
venomous  desires1  and  the  five  consuming  pas- 
sions.2 Of  course,  it  would  be  madness  to  deny 
the  relative  reality  of  objects  of  the  senses;  no 
one  can  refute  it.  But  if  we  go  one  step  further 
and  declare  that  their  reality  is  final  and  ultimate, 
we  logically  put  ourselves  in  the  most  awkward 
position  and  morally  stand  on  the  most  unsteady 
ground.  The  irreconcilable  egoism  which  char- 
Avarice,  hatred,  and  infatuation. 
2Inordinate  desires  arising  from  the  five  senses. 


120  SERMONS    OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

acterizes  the  life  of  the  ordinary  man  is  no  more 
than  the  natural  outcome  of  this  fatal  realism. 
To  be  saved,  we  must  lift  the  veil  of  ignorance 
and  come  out  into  the  realm  of  "calm  radiance," 
which  is  the  abode  of  the  enlightened. 

The  conclusion  of  the  whole  affair,  then,  is: 
The  world  is  characterized  by  mutability  and 
impermanence ;  those  who  do  not  rise  above 
worldliness  are  tossed  up  and  down  in  the  whirl- 
pool of  passion.  But  those  who  know  the  consti- 
tution of  things  see  the  infinite  in  the  finite  and 
the  supra-phenomenal  in  the  phenomenal,  and 
are  blessed  in  the  midst  of  sufferings  and  tribu- 
lations. 


The  Engaku  Monastery  of  Kamakura  is  a  complex  of  sev- 
eral groups  of  buildings  surrounded  by  pine-covered  hills ;  and 
our  picture  shows  the  Right  Rev.  Soyen  Shaku  standing 
under  the  gate  that  leads  to  the  Meditation  Hall. 


REPLY  TO  A  CHRISTIAN  CRITIC 

(LETTER  WRITTEN  IN  1896  TO  DR.  JOHN  H.  BARROWS. Y 

DEAR  SIR: 

Friends  in  America  have  sent  me  a  number  of 
the  Chicago  Tribune,  dated  Monday,  January  13, 
1896,  which  contains  the  report  of  your  second 
Haskell  lecture,  delivered  at  the  Kent  Theater 
in  the  Chicago  University.  The  subject  is 
"Christianity  and  Buddhism,"  and  I  anticipated 
a  friendly  and  sympathetic  treatment  of  Bud- 
dhism at  your  hands,  for  I  do  not  doubt  that 
you  desire  to  be  just  in  your  judgment.  Your 
utterances  are  of  importance  because  they  will 
be  received  as  an  impartial  representation  of  our 
religion,  since  you,  having  been  Chairman  of  the 
Religious  Parliament,  are  commonly  considered 
to  have  the  best  of  information  about  those  reli- 
gions that  were  represented  at  this  famous 
assemblage.  I  was  greatly  disappointed,  how- 
ever, seeing  that  you  only  repeat  those  errors 
which  are  common  in  the  various  Western  books 
on  Buddhism.  You  say,  "The  goal  which  made 
Buddha's  teachings  a  dubious  gospel,  is  Nirvana, 
which  involves  the  extinction  of  love  and  life, 

Reproduced  from  THE  OPEN  COURT,  January,  1897. 


122      SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

as  the  going  out  of  a  flame  which  has  nothing  else 
to  feed  upon."  Now  the  word  Nirvana  means 
"extinction"  and  it  means  the  eradication  of 
all  evil  desires,  of  all  passions,  of  all  egotism, 
so  that  the  flame  of  envy,  hatred,  and  lust  will 
have  nothing  to  feed  upon.  This  is  the  negative 
side  of  Nirvana.  The  positive  side  of  Nirvana 
consists  in  the  recognition  of  truth.  The  destruction 
of  evil  desires,  of  envy,  hatred,  extinction  of  selfish- 
ness implies  charity,  compassion  with  all  suffer- 
ing, and  a  love  that  is  unbounded  and  infinite. 
Nirvana  means  extinction  of  lust,  not  of  love; 
extinction  of  evil,  not  of  existence;  of  egotistic 
craving,  not  of  life.  The  eradication  of  all  that 
is  evil  in  man's  heart  will  set  all  his  energies  free 
for  good  deeds,  and  he  is  no  genuine  Buddhist 
who  would  not  devote  his  life  to  active  work, 
and  a. usefulness  which  would  refuse  neither  his 
friends  nor  strangers,  nor  even  his  very  enemies. 
You  say  that  "  human  life  does  not  breathe, 
in  Buddhism,  the  atmosphere  of  divine  father- 
hood, but  groans  under  the  dominion  of  inex- 
orable and  implacable  laws."  Now,  I  grant  that 
Buddha  taught  the  irrefragability  of  law,  but 
this  is  a  point  in  which,  as  in  so  many  others, 
Buddha's  teachings  are  in  exact  agreement  with 
the  doctrines  of  modern  science.  However,  you 
ought  to  consider  that  while  the  law  is  irrefra- 
gable, no  one  but  those  who  infringe  upon  it 
groan  under  it.  He  who  understands  the  laws 
of  existence,  and  especially  the  moral  law  that 


REPLY   TO    A   CHRISTIAN    CRITIC  123 

underlies  the  development  of  human  society, 
will  accommodate  himself  to  it,  and  thus  he  will 
not  groan  under  it,  but  in  the  measure  that  he 
is  like  Buddha  he  will  be  enlightened,  he  will  be 
a  master  of  the  law  and  not  a  slave.  In  the  same 
way  that  the  ignorant  savage  is  killed  by  the 
electric  shock  of  lightning,  while  an  electric 
engineer  uses  it  for  lighting  the  halls  and  streets 
of  our  cities,  the  immoral  man  suffers  from  the 
moral  law,  he  groans  under  its  inexorable  and 
implacable  decree,  while  the  moral  man  enjoys 
it,  and  turning  it  to  advantage  glories  in  its 
boundless  blessings. 

This  same  moral  law  is  the  source  of  enlight- 
enment and  its  recognition  constitutes  Buddha- 
hood.  This  same  moral  law  we  call  Dharmakaya, 
which  is  eternal,  omnipresent,  and  all-glorious. 
We  represent  it  under  a  picture  of  a  father,  and 
it  was  incarnated  not  only  in  Gautama-Buddha, 
but  also  in  all  great  men  in  a  higher  or  lesser 
degree,  foremost  among  them  in  Jesus  Christ, 
and,  allow  me  to  add,  in  George  Washington, 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  other  great  men  of  your 
country.  Allow  me  to  add,  too,  that  Buddha's 
doctrine,  far  from  being  skepticism,  proclaims 
the  doctrine  that  man  can  attain  enlightenment 
and  that  he  attains  it  not  only  through  study 
and  learning,  which,  as  a  matter  of  course,  are 
indispensable,  but  also  and  mainly  through  the 
earnest  exertions  of  a  life  of  purity  and  holiness. 

There  are  many  more  points  in  your  lecture 


124      SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

which  I  feel  tempted  to  discuss  with  you,  but 
they  refer  more  to  Christianity  than  to  Buddhism, 
and  may  imply  a  misunderstanding  of  Christian 
doctrines  on  my  part.  I  am  anxious  to  know  all 
that  is  good  in  Christianity  and  the  significance 
of  your  dogmas,  so  that  I  may  grow  in  a  compre- 
hension of  truth,  but  I  have  not  as  yet  been 
able  to  see  that  mankind  can  be  benefited  by 
believing  that  Jesus  Christ  performed  miracles. 
I  do  not  deny  the  miracles  nor  do  I  believe  them ; 
I  only  claim  that  they  are  irrelevant.  The 
beauty  and  the  truth  of  many  of  Christ's  sayings 
fascinate  me,  but  truth  does  not  become  clearer 
by  being  pronounced  by  a  man  who  works  mira- 
cles. You  say  that,  "We  can  explain  Buddha 
without  the  miracles  which  later  legends  ascribe 
to  him,  but  we  cannot  explain  Christ — either 
his  person  or  his  influence — without  granting  the 
truth  of  his  own  claim  that  he  did  the  super- 
natural works  of  his  father."  We  may  grant 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  greatest  master  and 
teacher  that  appeared  in  the  West  after  Buddha, 
but  the  picture  of  Jesus  Christ  as  we  find  it  in  the 
Gospel  is  marred  by  the  accounts  of  such  miracles 
as  the  great  draft  of  fishes,  which  involves  a  great 
and  useless  destruction  of  life  (for  we  read  that 
the  fishermen  followed  Jesus,  leaving  the  fish 
behind),  and  by  the  transformation  of  water 
into  wine  at  the  marriage-feast  at  Cana.  Nor 
has  Jesus  Christ  attained  to  the  calmness  and 
dignity  of  Buddha,  for  the  passion  of  anger 


REPLY   TO    A   CHRISTIAN   CRITIC 

overtook  him  in  the  temple,  when  he  drove  out 
with  rope  in  hand  those  that  bargained  in  the 
holy  place. 

How  different  would  Buddha  have  behaved 
under  similar  conditions  in  the  same  place! 
Instead  of  whipping  the  evil-doers  he  would 
have  converted  them,  for  kind  words  strike 
deeper  than  the  whip. 

I  do  not  dare  to  discuss  the  statements  you 
make  about  Christianity,  for  fear  that  I  may  be 
mistaken,  but  I  am  open  to  conviction  and 
willing  to  learn. 

I  hope  you  will  not  take  offense  at  my  frank 
remarks,  but  I  feel  that  you,  if  any  one  in  Chris- 
tendom, ought  to  know  the  real  teachings  of 
Buddha,  and  we  look  to  you  as  a  leader  who  will 
make  possible  the  way  for  a  better  understanding 
between  all  the  religions  of  the  world,  for  I  do 
not  doubt  that  as  you  unknowingly  misrepresent 
the  doctrines  of  the  Tathagata,  so  we  may  mis- 
understand the  significance  of  Christianity.  We 
shall  be  much  obliged  to  you  if  in  justice  to  the 
religion  of  Buddha  you  will  make  public  this 
humble  protest  of  mine,  so  that  at  least  the 
most  important  misconceptions  and  prejudices 
that  obtain  among  Christians  may  be  removed. 

I  remain,  with  profound  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 
Kamakura,  Japan.  SOYEN  SHAKU. 


IGNORANCE  AND  ENLIGHTENMENT. 

THE  fundamental  idea  of  Buddhism  is  "to 
disperse  the  clouds  of  ignorance  in  order 
to  make  the  moon  of  enlightenment  shine  out 
in  her  glory." 

By  ignorance  Buddhism  understands  the  asser- 
tion of  self-will,  which  is  the  root  of  all  evil  and 
misery  in  this  world.  Self-will  is  ignorance, 
because  it  is  blind  to  the  truth  that  the  world 
is  a  relative  existence,  that  the  self  separated 
from  other  fellow-selves  is  non-entity,  and  that 
individuals  acquire  their  reality  in  proportion 
as  they  penetrate  the  foundation  of  existence. 
This  truth  is  ignored  by  the  principle  of  self- 
assertion.  A  man  who  is  self-assertive  pushes 
himself  forward  without  any  regard  to  the 
welfare  of  his  brother  creatures;  he  hails  him- 
self when  he  reaches  the  heights  of  self-aggran- 
dizement; but  unfortunately  he  fails  to  perceive 
that  his  success  is  but  the  road  to  his  final 
destruction.  For  self-assertion  really  means  self- 
annihilation.  We  live  in  fact  in  the  oneness  of 
things  and  die  in  isolation  and  singleness. 

In  Christian  terminology,  selfhood  is  the 
" flesh,"  or  "the  old  man";  such  is  the  meaning 

126 


IGNORANCE  AND  ENLIGHTENMENT     127 

when  Jesus  exclaims  that  "the  spirit  is  truly 
ready,  but  the  flesh  is  weak"  (Mark  xiv,  38), 
or  when  Paul  speaks  of  "the  old  man  which  is 
corrupt  according  to  the  deceitful  lusts"  (Eph. 
iv,  22),  or  when  the  flesh  is  spoken  of  as  profiting 
nothing  (John  vi,  63),  or  allusion  is  made  to  its 
infirmity  (Rom.  vi,  19),  or  to  its  not  pleasing 
God  (Rom.  viii,  8),  or  to  its  lusting  against  the 
spirit  (Gal.  v,  17).  Christians  are  not  so  intel- 
lectual as  Buddhists,  and  therefore,  philosophically 
considered,  the  terminology  of  the  former  is  not 
so  definite  and  to  the  point  as  is  that  of  the 
latter.  Besides,  the  adoption  of  popular  terms 
often  suggests  a  wrong  conception  which  is  not 
intended;  for  instance,  the  distinction  between 
the  flesh  and  the  spirit  has  a  tendency  to  a 
dualistic  interpretation  of  life.  To  conceive  the 
nature  of  the  flesh  to  be  diametrically  and  radi- 
cally opposed  to  that  of  the  spirit  is  not  in  accord 
with  the  essentially  monistic  teaching  of  Bud- 
dhism. Those  who  are  prone  to  asceticism  and 
self-mortification  are  as  much  condemned  by 
Buddha  as  the  followers  of  hedonism  for  being 
ignorant  and  far  from  attaining  the  path  of 
enlightenment. 

When  the  ignorance  of  self-assertion  is  removed, 
Buddhism  teaches,  the  enlightenment  of  universal 
lovingkindness  takes  its  place ;  and  the  arrogance, 
tenacity,  indefatigability,  and  impertinence  which 
characterize  egotistic  impulses  are  all  converted  to 
do  service  for  the  general  welfare  of  humanity, 


128  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

and  they  will  then  assume  different  names  as 
most  desirable  virtues.  As  soon  as  the  veil  of 
ignorance  is  raised,  the  glory  of  enlightenment 
which  is  love  is  revealed,  and  we  do  no  more 
hanker  after  self -gratification.  Why?  Because 
the  Buddha-intelligence  is  universal  and  works 
in  every  one  of  us  to  bring  out  the  consciousness 
of  oneness  underlying  all  individual  phenomena. 
We  as  individuals  are  all  different;  mine  is  not 
thine  and  vice  versa;  and  in  this  sense  egoism 
is  true,  and  the  assertion  of  self-will  is  permis- 
sible to  that  extent.  But  we  must  never  lose 
sight  of  "the  same  God  that  worketh  all  in  all," 
and  "in  which  we  move  and  live  and  have  our 
being,"  for  he  is  the  source  of  eternal  life  and  the 
fountain  of  love.  "Not  what  I  will,  but  what 
thou  wilt,"  is  the  most  fundamental  religious 
truth,  not  only  in  Christianity,  but  in  Buddhism. 
Not  the  assertion  of  self-will,  but  the  execution 
of  the  will  of  that  being  in  which  we  are  all  one, 
constitutes  the  condition  of  enlightenment. 

We  must  not,  however,  suppose  that  the 
divine  will  becomes  manifest  only  when  all  the 
lust  and  passions  of  the  flesh  are  destroyed. 
This  is  the  teaching  of  anchorites  and  not  of 
Buddhists.  What  the  latter  teach  is  to  make 
the  inclinations  of  the  flesh  those  of  the  spirit, 
so  that  there  will  be  left  no  hiatus  between  the 
two.  What  one  wills,  the  other  wills,  and  no 
discord  or  mutual  exclusion  is  then  allowed.  To 
express  this  more  Buddhistically,  ignorance  does 


IGNORANCE   AND   ENLIGHTENMENT  129 

not  depart  when  enlightenment  comes  in,  but 
ignorance  itself  becomes  enlightenment;  self-will 
is  not  annihilated  in  order  to  make  room  for  the 
divine  will,  but  self-will  itself  assumes  divinity. 
In  the  beginning  of  this  discourse,  I  said  that 
the  fundamental  idea  of  Buddhism  is  to  disperse 
the  clouds  of  ignorance  in  order  to  see  the  moon 
of  enlightenment  in  her  glory.  This  may  sug- 
gest the  thought  that  ignorance  and  enlighten- 
ment are  fundamentally  different  and  mutually 
contradicting,  and  that  one  thing  called  ignor- 
ance goes  out  and  another  thing  called  enlighten- 
ment comes  in  to  take  its  place,  as  these  two 
do  not  agree.  But  in  truth  I  have  there  followed 
the  popular  dualistic  conception  of  the  matter; 
and  therefore  let  me  repeat  that  in  Nirvana, 
according  to  Buddhism,  there  is  not  such  dis- 
tinction as  light  and  shade,  ignorance  and  enlight- 
enment, coming  and  going.  If  there  is  anything 
in  Nirvana,  it  is  all  enlightenment,  all  purity, 
and  an  unconditioned  freedom  from  selfishness. 
Accordingly,  when  one  attains  Nirvana,  which 
is  the  realization  of  the  Buddhist  life,  ignorance 
itself  becomes  enlightenment  and  self-will  the 
divine  will.  What  we  thought  ignorance  is  now 
enlightenment;  where  we  located  the  final  abode 
of  the  ego-soul,  we  have  now  the  fount  of  divine 
will.  This  may  sound  somewhat  sacrilegious, 
but  the  Buddhists  are  such  consistent  and  never- 
yielding  monists  that  they  do  not  shrink  from 
carrying  out  their  logic  to  the  end;  they  are  not 


130  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

at  all  afraid  of  the  charge  of  blasphemy  or  irre- 
ligiosity  likely  to  be  preferred  by  some  pious 
Christians. 

This  purification  or  illumination  of  self-will, 
however,  must  not  be  confused  with  antinomi- 
anism  or  libertinism.  The  latter  is  given  up  to 
the  wantonness  of  self-will  and  not  to  the  free 
activity  of  the  divine  will.  What  the  pure-hearted 
do  is  always  pure,  while  whatever  comes  from  a 
heart  defiled  with  egoism  is  defiled  and  irrational. 
There  are  many  points  in  the  religious  life  which 
make  it  very  difficult  to  distinguish  the  latter 
from  the  ethical  life,  for  both  are  so  closely  related. 
But  we  could  consider  the  subjectivity  of  religion 
as  most  characteristically  contrasted  to  the 
objectivity  of  ethics.  The  distinction  between 
the  self-will  and  the  divine  will  must  be  personally 
felt  and  individually  experienced.  This  may 
sound  vague  and  be  considered  as  taking  refuge 
in  the  maze  of  subjectivism;  but  the  fact  is  that 
religion  has  its  foundation  in  our  subjective  life, 
and  anything  that  relates  to  it  lacks  in  definition 
and  exactitude  so  typical  of  things  objective  and 
intellectual.  Religion,  when  devoid  of  this 
mystical  element,  loses  its  irresistible  fascination. 
Of  course,  we  must  not  make  it  abide  always  in 
the  camera  obscura  of  imagination  and  mysti- 
cism. We  must  take  it  out  in  the  broad  daylight 
of  science  and  subject  it  to  an  intellectual  scru- 
tiny. But  we  cannot  for  all  that  ignore  the  fact 
that  there  is  something  in  religion  which  defies 


IGNORANCE   AND   ENLIGHTENMENT  131 

or  escapes  the  most  penetrating  searchlight  of 
intellectual  analysis.  And  in  this  something 
there  lies  its  charm,  its  raison  d'etre,  and  its 
power  to  remove  vexation  of  spirit. 

Whatever  this  be,  Nirvana,  in  which  the  spir- 
ituality of  a  human  being  is  fully  realized,  can  be 
attained  only  after  most  strenuous  moral  efforts 
on  the  part  of  the  aspirant.  Intellectual  knowl- 
edge can  be  acquired  through  an  outside  agency; 
we  of  latter  days  may  be  far  wiser  in  this  par- 
ticular respect  than  all  our  venerable  moral  and 
religious  teachers  of  bygone  ages,  such  as  Socrates, 
Plato,  Buddha,  and  Christ.  But  the  spiritual 
region  lies  within,  and  each  of  us  must  strive, 
through  our  own  inner  and  individual  efforts 
and  not  through  any  outside  agency,  to  unfold 
ourselves  and  bring  about  enlightenment.  We 
may  have  high  ideals,  but  let  us  remember  that 
they  can  be  realized  only  after  long  discipline 
and  untiring  exertion.  Let  those  therefore  for- 
ever strive — those  that  wish  to  follow  the  funda- 
mental idea  of  Buddhism. 

"When  the  scholar  driveth  away  sloth  by  earnestness, 
He  attaineth  to  the  palace  of  wisdom, 
Sorrowless  in  the  sorrowing  world, 
And  the  wise  one,  he,  looks  upon  the  ignorant, 
Even  as  one  on  the  mountain-peak  looks  upon  one  on 
the  ground,"  — Dharmapada,  28. 


SPIRITUAL  ENLIGHTENMENT 

THERE  are  many  characteristic  points  of 
divergence  between  religion  and  philosophy, 
though  they  have  so  much  in  common  that 
some  scholars,  broadly  speaking,  take  religion 
for  practical  philosophy  and  philosophy  for 
speculative  religion.  The  difference  between  the 
two,  however,  is  not  merely  that  of  practicability 
and  theorization.  It  is,  in  my  judgment,  more 
deeply  rooted  and  fundamental.  What  is  it, 
then?  I  believe  that  that  which  makes  religion 
what  it  is  in  contradistinction  to  philosophy  or 
ethics  consists  in  the  truth  that  it  is  essentially 
founded  on  facts  of  one's  own  spiritual  experi- 
ence, which  is  beyond  intellectual  demonstra- 
bility  and  which  opens  a  finite  mind  to  the  light 
of  universal  effulgence.  In  short,  spiritual  en- 
lightenment is  indispensable  in  religion,  while 
philosophy  is  mere  intellection. 

By  spiritual  enlightenment  I  mean  a  man's 
becoming  conscious  through  personal  experience 
of  the  ultimate  nature  of  his  inner  being.  This 
insight  breaks  as  it  were  the  wall  of  intellectual 
limitation  and  brings  us  to  a  region  which  has 
been  hitherto  concealed  from  our  view.  The 

132 


SPIRITUAL    ENLIGHTENMENT  133 

horizon  is  now  so  widened  as  to  enable  our  spir- 
itual vision  to  survey  the  totality  of  existence. 
As  long  as  we  groped  in  the  darkness  of  ignor- 
ance, we  could  not  go  beyond  the  threshold  of 
individuation ;  we  could  not  recognize  the  pres- 
ence of  a  light  whose  most  penetrating  rays 
reveal  all  the  mysteries  of  nature  and  mind. 
The  spirit  has  found  that  the  light  is  shining 
within  itself  even  in  its  fullest  glory,  that  it  even 
partakes  something  of  this  universal  light,  that 
it  blundered  miserably  in  seeking  its  own  ground 
outside  of  itself,  that  "Alpha  and  Omega,  the 
beginning  and  the  end,-  which  is,  and  which  was, 
and  which  is  to  come,"  is  no  more  nor  less  than 
itself.  And  it  is  through  this  kind  of  enlighten- 
ment only  that  we  fully  satisfy  our  inmost  spir- 
itual yearnings  and  groanings.  Without  this, 
religion  loses  its  significance,  becoming  merely 
an  applied  philosophy  or  system  of  metaphysics. 
The  enlightenment  which  thus  constitutes  the 
basis  of  the  religious  life  is  altogether  spiritual  and 
not  intellectual.  The  intellect  in  its  very  nature 
is  relative  and  cannot  transcend  its  own  limita- 
tions. It  is  dualistic  no  matter  how  high  it  may 
take  a  flight.  It  always  needs  an  object  with 
which  to  deal,  and  it  never  identifies  itself  with 
it,  for  it  cannot  do  so  without  destroying  itself. 
There  must  be  the  "I"  and  the  "not-I"  when- 
ever intellection  takes  place.  Self -alienation  or 
keeping  itself  aloof  from  the  object  on  which  it 
exercises  itself  is  the  raison  d'etre  of  intellect, 


134  SERMONS   OP  A   BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

being  its  strongest  as  well  as  its  weakest  point. 
Its  strongest  point  is  seen  in  science  and  phi- 
losophy, while  its  weakest  point  is  revealed  in 
religion.  For  religion  needs  a  synthetic  faculty 
by  which  it  can  comprehend  the  realm  of  par- 
ticulars, the  realm  of  constant  strivings  and 
eternal  contradictions.  Religion  wants  to  under- 
stand and  preserve  life  as  it  is  found,  and  not  to 
" dissect  and  murder"  it  as  is  done  by  the  intel- 
lect. Religion  wants  to  see  and  not  to  demon- 
strate; to  grasp  directly  with  her  own  hands 
and  not  to  rely  upon  a  medium;  to  see  intui- 
tively and  not  discursively.  What  is  therefore 
asked  for  by  a  religious  spirit  is  fact  and  not 
representation,  enlightenment  and  not  reflection; 
and  this  will  be  supplied  by  no  amount  of  specu- 
lation and  imagination.  We  must  advance  one 
step  further  beyond  the  limits  and  boldly  plunge 
into  the  abysmal  depths  of  the  Unknowable. 

Can  a  mortal  being  with  his  limited  conscious- 
ness have  an  insight  into  a  field  without  its  ken? 
No;  as  long  as  he  relies  solely  upon  his  intellec- 
tual faculty,  he  is  forever  barred  from  so  doing. 
For  the  intellect  is  really  superficial  and  cannot 
penetrate  through  spatial  and  temporal  relations, 
nor  can  she  free  herself  from  the  bondage  of 
logical  sequence;  and  therefore  the  inner  life  of 
our  being  is  altogether  unknown  to  the  intellect. 
We  cannot  be  said  to  know  an  object  thoroughly 
by  merely  becoming  familiar  with  all  its  attri- 
butes, qualities,  potentialities,  and  what  not. 


SPIRITUAL   ENLIGHTENMENT  135 

All  these  can  be  understood  through  the  senses 
and  the  reasoning  faculty.  There  yet  remains 
a  certain  feature  of  the  object,  the  knowledge 
of  which  alone  completes  our  understanding  of  it. 
Philosophy  and  science  have  done  a  great  deal 
for  the  advancement  of  our  knowledge  of  the 
universe,  and  there  is  a  fair  prospect  of  their 
further  service  for  this  end.  But  they  are  con- 
stitutionally incapable  of  giving  rest,  bliss,  joy, 
and  faith  to  a  troubled  spirit;  for  they  do  not 
provide  us  with  a  complete  knowledge  of  exist- 
ence, and  are  unable  to  lay  bare  the  secrets  of 
life.  What  they  teach  concerns  the  shell  and 
husk  of  reality.  In  order  to  satisfy  fully  our 
religious  yearnings  we  must  not  stop  short  at 
this ;  we  must  appeal  to  a  different  faculty,  which 
will  reveal  to  us  the  inmost  life  of  the  universe. 

Fortunately,  we  are  in  possession  of  this  peculiar 
faculty  which  might  be  called  the  religious  sense, 
and  through  the  exercise  of  which  we  come  to 
realize  the  significance  of  our  existence.  How 
unbearable  life  would  be,  if  we  were  not  allowed 
to  have  this  religious  faculty  and  yet  we  had  to 
raise  those  spirit-harassing  questions  which  could 
not  be  solved  by  logic! 

The  faculty  seems  to  have  all  the  essential 
characteristics  of  the  feeling.  It  is  intuitive  and 
does  not  analyze;  it  is  direct  and  refuses  a 
medium  of  any  form.  It  allows  no  argument,  it 
merely  states,  and  its  statement  is  absolute. 
When  it  says  "yes,"  the  affirmation  has  such  a 


136      SERMONS  OP  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

convincing  force  as  to  remove  all  doubts,  and 
even  skeptically  disposed  intellectual  minds  have 
ta  admit  it  as  a  fact  and  not  a  whim.  It  speaks 
as  one  with  authority.  True,  it  has  only  a  sub- 
jective value,  which,  however,  is  just  as  ultimate 
and  actual  as  sense-perception.  Being  immediate, 
there  is  no  other  way  to  test  its  validity  than 
that  each  experience  it  personally,  individually, 
and  inwardly.  The  sun  is  risen  on  the  horizon 
and  all  that  have  eyes  see  it  and  harbor  not  the 
shadow  of  a  doubt  as  to  its  presence  there.  The 
inner  sense  which  I  have  called  religious  faculty 
makes  us  feel  the  inmost  life  that  is  running 
through  every  vein  and  every  artery  of  nature; 
and  we  are  completely  free  from  skepticism, 
unrest,  dissatisfaction,  and  vexation  of  spirit. 
We  never  try  to  raise  a  doubt  about  the  true 
nature  of  the  feeling  and  ask  ourselves  whether 
it  is  merely  a  phenomenon  of  mental  aberration 
or  due  to  a  calenture  of  the  brain.  We  simply 
feel,  and  nothing  more  or  less  is  to  be  asserted 
or  denied.  And  this  is  what  constitutes  spiritual 
enlightenment . 

Mere  talking  about  or  mere  believing  in  the 
existence  of  God  and  his  infinite  love  is  nonsense 
as  far  as  religion  is  concerned.  Talking  and 
arguing  belong  to  philosophy,  and  believing  in  its 
ordinary  sense  is  a  sort  of  hypothesis,  not  neces- 
sarily supported  by  facts.  Religion,  however, 
wants  above  everything  else  solid  facts  and 
actual  personal  experience.  If  God  exists,  he 


SPIRITUAL   ENLIGHTENMENT  137 

must  be  felt.  If  he  is  love,  it  must  be  experi- 
enced and  become  the  fact  of  one's  inmost  life. 
Without  spiritual  enlightenment,  all  is  an  idle 
talk,  like  a  bubble  which  vanishes  under  the  least 
pressure.  Without  the  awakening  of  the  religious 
sense  or  faculty,  God  is  a  shadow,  the  soul  a 
ghost,  and  life  a  dream.  In  Buddhism  this 
faculty  is  known  as  Prajnd. 

If  we  distinguish  faith  from  knowledge,  the 
latter  can  be  understood  as  simply  intellectual, 
while  the  former  is  intuition  gained  through  the 
exercise  of  the  Prajna.  In  knowledge  subject 
and  object  coexist  and  condition  each  other; 
in  faith  they  become  one,  there  is  identity  only 
and  no  mutuality.  Transcending  the  reciprocity 
of  the  "I"  and  the  "not-I,"  the  Prajna  beholds 
the  universe  in  its  ultimate  oneness  and  feels  all 
forms  of  life  in  their  essential  sameness.  It 
knovrs  that  the  impulse  it  feels  is  the  quickening 
spirit  of  all  existence,  and  that  the  pulsation  of 
sympathy  which  beats  in  response  to  outside 
stimuli  is  the  source  of  universal  animation. 
Why?  Because  the  Prajna  feels  so  by  reason 
of  its  own  constitution. 

The  dictates  of  the  Prajna  are  final  and  there 
is  no  higher  faculty  in  our  consciousness  to  annul 
them.  Faith  is  absolute  within  its  own  limits 
and  the  office  of  the  intellect  is  to  explain  or 
interpret  it  objectively.  Speaking  religiously, 
faith  is  fact  and  has  to  be  reckoned  with  as  such. 
It  is  only  when  it  wants  to  express  itself  that 


138  SERMONS   OF   A    BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

intellection  comes  in,  and  individual  culture  or 
personal  equation  makes  itself  felt.  To  a  great 
extent,  I  feel  that  differences  or  quarrels  among 

1  the  so-called  religionists  concerning  their  con- 
fession of  faith  are  due  to  personal  differences  in 
esthetic  taste,  intellectual  calibre,  and  the  influ- 
ence of  environment,  while  the  fact  of  faith  as 
such  remains  fundamentally  the  same  with 
Christians,  Buddhists,  or  Taoists.  As  everybody 
endowed  with  sentiency  feels  the  ice  cold  and  the 
fire  warm,  so  what  the  Prajfia  sees  or  feels  in  its 
inmost  being  must  be  universally  the  same. 
God,  Allah,  Dharmakaya,  Tao,  Holy  Ghost, 
Brahma,  and  what  not,  are  a  mere  verbal  quib- 
bling over  the  same  fact  which  is  felt  in  the  deepest 

•  depths  of  our  being.  The  inner  reason  of  things 
which  creates  or  destroys  the  three  thousand 
worlds  in  the  same  breath  must  be  smiling  at 
the  human  trifling  over  naught. 

Spiritual  enlightenment  must  not  be  confused 
with  trance,  a  state  of  consciousness  in  which 
there  is  nothing  but  blankness.  Those  who 
have  had  no  spiritual  experience  or  who  have 
not  come  to  recognize  in  the  awakening  of 
Prajfia  something  altogether  unique  in  our  sub- 
jective life-phenomena  frequently  speak  of 
enlightenment  as  an  abnormal  psychical  con- 
dition, and  try  to  explain  it  under  the  same 
category  as  hallucination,  somnambulism,  self- 
suggestion,  and  the  like.  But  the  fact  is  that 
enlightenment  is  not  a  special  psychic  state 


SPIRITUAL   ENLIGHTENMENT  139 

which  excludes  or  suppresses  the  ordinary  exer- 
cise of  other  mental  faculties.  Enlightenment 
goes  and  must  go  along  with  all  psychological 
phenomena.  If  enlightenment  is  to  be  gained 
through  the  suspension  of  mentation,  religion  is 
false  and  faith  is  barren.  Enlightenment  is 
enlightenment  because  it  enlightens  all  our 
motives,  desires,  whims,  determinations,  impulses, 
thoughts,  etc.  It  does  not  stand  separate  from 
other  states  of  consciousness,  sending  its  com- 
mands from  a  certain  vantage  ground.  In  an 
enlightened  mind  a  feeling  or  thought  as  it  occurs 
is  purified  and  free  from  the  taints  of  ignorance 
and  egotism.  Enlightenment  is  constant  and  not 
sporadic.  It  permeates  every  mental  fibre  and 
works  without  rest.  It  is  not  something  extraor- 
dinary that  takes  place  by  fits  and  starts. 
Spiritual  enlightenment  sheds  light  on  the  very 
reason  of  consciousness,  for  it  is  not  a  particular 
event  of  our  psychical  life. 

When  a  Buddhist  scholar  was  asked  what  was 
the  Path,  he  answered,  "The  normal  state  of 
mind."  In  other  words,  spiritual  enlightenment 
consists  in  following  the  natural  course  of  human 
activity,  for  the  enlightened  find  the  ultimate 
reason  of  existence  in  their  desire  to  drink  or  to 
eat  according  to  their  natural  appetite,  in  their 
sympathy  for  the  misery  and  suffering  which  are 
endured  by  the  ignorant  masses,  in  their  aspira- 
tion to  fathom  the  mysteries  of  nature  and  life, 
in  their  ever-assiduous  attempt  to  realize  the 


140  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

ideals  of  lovingkindness  and  universal  brother- 
hood on  this  earth,  in  their  ever- varying  devices 
to  let  each  creation  fulfill  its  inherent  mission 
and  rest  in  its  reason  of  existence.  The  reli- 
giously ignorant  behave  outwardly  just  as  the 
enlightened,  for  as  far  as  intellect  and  morals 
go  there  is  no  manifested  difference  between  the 
ignorant  and  the  enlightened.  But,  spiritually 
speaking,  there  is  a  wide  gap  dividing  them, 
because  one  knows  what  he  is  striving  after  while 
the  other  is  blindly  feeling  his  way,  and  again 
because  one  finds  an  unspeakable  bliss  in  all 
his  doings  and  thinkings  and  feelings,  while  the 
other  labors  under  a  peculiar  sensation  of 
uneasiness  and  compulsion  which  he  cannot  well 
define  but  feels  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart. 

A  person  may  be  very  learned  in  all  things, 
and  his  philosophical  knowledge  may  be  very 
profound.  He  has  studied  all  the  ancient  lore 
of  wisdom,  and  has  even  formulated  his  own 
system  of  metaphysics  in  which  he  has  incorpo- 
rated all  the  results  of  his  erudition  and  specu- 
lation. But  from  the  religious  point  of  view 
he  is  yet  far  from  enlightenment,  for  his  study 
is  like  that  of  the  artist  who  has  painted  a  dragon 
and  forgot  to  put  the  eyes  in.  His  elaborate 
delineation  and  coloring  in  various  hues  of  this 
huge  mystic  animal  have  miserably  failed  to 
produce  the  effect  desired  and  attempted,  for  the 
eyes  are  blank  and  show  no  trace  of  the  fiery 
animation  which  is  possessed  by  the  monster. 
The  scholar  has  neglected  the  most  important 


SPIRITUAL    ENLIGHTENMENT  141 

factor  that  is  absolutely  necessary  in  making 
up  the  complete  knowledge  of  the  universe.  He 
thought  that  he  knew  everything  under  the  sun 
when  he  exercised  his  intellectual  power  to  its 
full  extent  and  considered  existence  from  all  the 
possible  standpoints  which  his  understanding 
could  grasp.  But,  as  I  stated  before,  the  knowl- 
edge of  an  object  is  not  complete  unless  its  inner 
life  or  reason  is  felt;  in  other  words,  unless  the 
duality  of  a  knowing  mind  and  a  known  object 
vanishes,  and  life  is  comprehended  as  it  is  and 
not  in  its  intellectual  mutilation.  Buddhism  says 
that  even  a  blade  of  grass  trembling  in  the  even- 
ing breeze  cannot  be  known  so  long  as  we  cling 
to  this  form  of  individuation  and  are  unable  to 
merge  our  particular  selves  with  the  self  of 
grass.  Buddha,  it  is  reported,  once  brought  a 
flower  before  an  assemblage  of  his  disciples  and 
showed  it  to  them  without  any  comments  what- 
ever, and  the  entire  congregation  was  bewildered 
what  to  make  of  this  strange  behavior  on  the 
part  of  their  master,  except  Kashyapa,  who, 
thoroughly  understanding  the  import  of  this 
incident,  softly  smiled  and  nodded.  Thereupon 
the  Buddha  solemnly  proclaimed,  "I  am  in 
possession  of  the  Eye  which  penetrates  into  the 
depths  of  the  Dharma  and  the  mysteries  of 
Nirvana.  I  now  give  it  to  thee,  O  Kashyapa, 
that  thou  mayest  guard  it  well."  What  sort  of 
eye  could  it  have  been  which  was  transmitted 
from  Buddha  to  Kashyapa  and  which  made  the 


142      SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

latter  comprehend  something  incomprehensible 
in  the  flower  in  Buddha's  hand? 

In  this  we  see  the  discrepancy  between  phi- 
losophy and  religion  more  and  more  accentuated. 
It  is  sufficient  for  philosophy  to  know,  but 
religion  demands  more  than  that.  When  the 
existence  or  non-existence  of  God  is  proved, 
philosophers  are  satisfied,  for  they  have  made 
the  utmost  use  of  the  intellect,  which  is  their  sole 
weapon  of  attack  and  defense.  In  fact,  they 
sometimes  show  a  disposition  to  deride  those  who 
disagree  with  them.  But  as  long  as  there  is 
some  unutterable  yearning  in  the  human  heart 
for  something  more  real,  more  vital,  more  tangible 
than  mere  abstraction,  mere  knowing,  and  mere 
"proving,"  we  must  conclude  that  our  conscious- 
ness, however  fractional,  is  capable  of  coming 
in  touch  with  the  inmost  life  of  things  in  another 
way  than  intellection.  The  existence  of  Prajria, 
the  organ  of  spiritual  insight,  therefore,  is 
admitted  by  Buddhism,  and  their  religious  disci- 
pline is  directed  towards  the  awakening  of  this 
faculty,  which  is  rightly  designated  "  the  mother 
of  all  Buddhas,"  and  "the  sharpest  sword  that 
cuts  ignorance  and  egotism." 

But  one  must  not  imagine  that  there  is  con- 
sciousness, there  is  Prajna,  and  there  is  enlighten- 
ment. In  point  of  fact,  they  are  all  one  simul- 
taneous act  of  the  universal  reason.  We  speak 
of  them  as  if  they  were  three  different  things: 
the  sentient  being  is  endowed  with  consciousness, 


SPIRITUAL   ENLIGHTENMENT  143 

and  this  consciousness  has  the  faculty  to  become 
acquainted  with  its  own  reason  of  existence, 
and  the  resultant  mental  state  constitutes  what 
is  called  spiritual  enlightenment.  Intellectually, 
this  distinction  of  course  is  inevitable,  but  as  a 
man  actually  experiences  it,  the  only  fact  he  is 
conscious  of  is  that  he  is,  not  as  a  particular 
being  separate  from  others,  but  as  simply  existing 
and  living.  Buddhist  scholars  call  this  exalted 
state  of  spirituality  f  tiny  aid  —  emptiness,  or 
fdnti  =  tranquillity,  or  samddhi  =  contemplation. 

A  few  words  may  not  be  amiss  here  to  explain 
these  terms,  which  have  been  frequently  misun- 
derstood by  the  outsider.  " Emptiness"  may 
suggest  a  deprivation  of  all  mental  operations 
as  in  the  trance,  and  "  tranquillity "  a  dormant, 
sleeping,  or  " not-yet-awakened"  state  of  men- 
tality, while  "contemplation"  tends  to  indicate 
a  withdrawal  or  suspension  of  all  psychical 
functions;  thus  making  spiritual  enlightenment 
a  synonym  of  death  or  annihilation.  Such  mis- 
interpretations as  these,  however,  ever  prove  the 
inherent  onesidedness  of  the  understanding  and 
consequently  its  inability  to  lead  us  to  the  final 
abode  of  eternal  reason  which  has  really  "no- 
abode."  Buddhists  use  the  term  "emptiness" 
to  describe  the  "deep  things  of  God"  which  are 
absolute  and  not  relative.  For  when  we  say,  "he 
is,"  it  may  be  taken  as  meaning  that  he  is  as 
we  individuals  are. 

By  "All  is  empty,  quiet,  and  abiding  in  eternal 


144  SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

contemplation,"  Buddhists  understand  that  the 
ultimate  reason  of  the  universe  as  manifested  in 
all  forms  of  animation  and  intelligence  knows  no 
disturbance,  no  commotion,  no  transgression,  in 
the  midst  of  all  the  stirring-up  and  moving-on 
of  this  phenomenal  world.  This,  again,  I  have 
to  state,  guarding  against  misapprehension,  does 
not  mean  that  there  is  something  within  each 
existence  which  like  the  axle  of  a  wheel  or  like 
the  kernel  of  a  seed  forms  its  central  part  and 
remains  quiet  or  alive  even  when  the  peripheral 
parts  are  whirling  around  or  going  to  decay. 
Buddhism  most  emphatically  condemns  this  sort 
of  dualism  as  heretical  and  evil-breeding.  The 
ultimate  reason  is  absolutely  quiet  when  it  is 
moving  on;  it  is  perfectly  empty  when  it  is 
filled  to  the  brim;  it  is  eternally  one  when  it  is 
differentiating  itself  into  myriads;  it  has  no 
abode  whatever  where  it  finds  itself  located, 
housed,  and  roomed.  And  there  is  nothing 
paradoxical  or  enigmatic  in  this  statement;  it  is 
plain  as  daylight  and  simple  as  the  logical  axiom 
a  =  a.  But  to  realize  its  truth  one  must  be  spir- 
itually enlightened,  must  go  beyond  the  narrow 
limits  of  intellection,  must  drink  directly  from 
the  well  of  eternal  vitality  and  find  out  per- 
sonally how  it  tastes,  bitter  or  sweet. 

Let  philosophers  and  theologians  say  whatever 
they  wish  concerning  the  existence,  nature,  and 
activity  of  God;  let  them  speculate  as  much  as 
they  wish  on  the  theology  of  the  universe  and 


SPIRITUAL    ENLIGHTENMENT  145 

the  destiny  of  mankind  and  many  other  abstruse 
problems  of  metaphysics;  but  let  you  who 
earnestly  aspire  to  know  what  this  life  really 
means  turn  away  from  those  wise  men  and 
reflect  within,  or  look  around  yourselves  with 
an  open  heart  which  watches  and  receives,  and 
all  the  mysteries  of  the  world  will  be  revealed 
to  you  in  the  awakening  of  your  Prajna. 


PRACTICE  OF  DHYANA 

THREE  things  are  usually  considered  neces- 
sary   for   the   realization   of   the    Buddhist 
life:     i.  ftta  (moral  precepts),  2,  Dhydna  (con- 
templation), 3,  Prajnd  (wisdom);   and  these  are 
cooperative  and  mutually  related. 

To  be  a  good  Buddhist,  first  of  all,  a  man  must 
be  ethical  and  regulate  his  life  according  to  the 
moral  precepts,  which  were  laid  down  by  Buddha 
and  are  universally  applicable.  Next,  he  must 
be  philosophical,  that  is,  he  must  train  his  mind 
so  as  to  be  capable  of  practising  introspection. 
The  mechanical  observance  of  the  moral  laws  is 
not  becoming  to  the  dignity  of  a  rational,  con- 
scious being.  Man  must  be  master  of  himself, 
intellectually,  morally,  and  spiritually.  To  be 
so,  he  must  be  able  to  examine  his  own  states 
of  consciousness  and  direct  his  thoughts  and 
desires  to  the  end  where  lies  the  rationale  of 
existence.  This  habit  of  self-examination  is 
attainable  only  through  the  practice  of  dhyana, 
contemplation.  Lastly,  he  must  be  religious, 
by  which  is  meant  that  he  should  have  an  insight 
going  deep  into  the  indwelling  reason  of  things, 
and  this  insight,  according  to  Buddhism,  is  the 

146 


PRACTICE   OF   DHYANA  147 

outcome  of  the  mental  training  acquired  by  self- 
introspection.  Prajna,  which  is  the  most  funda- 
mental of  all  the  psychic  faculties  possessed  by 
man,  lies  inactive  and  altogether  unrecognized 
when  the  mind  is  busily  engaged  in  receiving 
impressions  and  elaborating  on  them  through  the 
ordinary  process  of  understanding.  It  has  no 
time  to  withdraw  within  itself  and  watch  how 
impulses  are  awakened,  stimuli  felt,  thoughts 
matured,  in  short,  how  the  inner  working  goes 
on.  It  never  knows  what  a  precious  stone  it 
harbors  within  its  being,  which,  when  discov- 
ered, will  illuminate  the  inmost  significance  of 
life  and  put  an  end  to  all  vanities  and  vexations 
of  spirit.  The  practice  of  dhyana,  however, 
brings  this  latent  faculty  of  consciousness  to  the 
surface  and  makes  a  new  man  out  of  old,  worn- 
out,  and  apparently  unpromising  stuff. 

Therefore,  the  three  requisites  of  the  Buddhist 
life  are  helping  one  another  like  a  tripod  to  stand 
together  and  to  accomplish  their  common  pur- 
pose. The  moral  precepts  cannot  be  intelli- 
gently and  thoroughly  followed  unless  a  man  has 
gained  a  complete  control  of  himself  through 
contemplation  and  self -introspection.  But  this 
dhy ana-practice  will  not  be  of  much  value, 
religiously  considered,  to  his  daily  life  unless  it 
leads  to  the  awakening  of  Prajna  (wisdom)  and 
to  the  comprehension  of  the  ultimate  facts  of 
life.  Whatever  difference  there  may  be  in  the 
different  schools  of  Buddhism,  those  three  forms 


148  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

of  discipline,  as  they  are  often  called,  are  admitted 
by  them  all  as  most  essential  for  the  realization 
of  their  ideal  life.  The  importance  of  the  moral 
codes  as  formulated  by  Buddha  will  not  be 
questioned  even  by  followers  of  non-Buddhist 
faiths,  and  as  to  the  signification  of  spiritual 
insight,  which  constitutes  the  essence  of  religious 
life,  I  have  somewhere  touched  upon  the  subject. 
In  this  short  discourse  I  wish  to  say  a  few  words 
concerning  the  practice  of  dhyana. 
*  *  * 

Dhyana  is  essentially  Hindu  or,  rather  broadly 
speaking,  Oriental  in  its  origin  as  well  as  in  its 
significance.  In  this  we  can  trace  one  of  the  many 
characteristics  which  lend  a  peculiarly  charming 
color  to  Oriental  culture.  The  Oriental  mind 
ever  strives  after  the  One  and  is  so  idealistic  in 
all  its  tendencies  as  sometimes  altogether  to 
ignore  the  external  world.  It  shuts  out  all  the 
impressions  the  senses  may  bring  in  from  with- 
out, thus  endeavoring  to  realize  the  aspiration 
after  unity  and  eternality.  It  does  not  care  so 
much  for  the  subjugation  of  natural  forces  to  its 
own  will  as  for  the  deliverance  of  self  from  its 
illusory  imprisonment.  It  does  not  antagonize 
the  world  in  which  it  lives,  but  calmly  contem- 
plates it,  reviewing  its  vagaries  or  vicissitudes, 
or  whatever  they  may  be  termed.  It  dwelleth 
not  in  the  many  ness  of  things,  but  in  their 
oneness,  for  its  ultimate  abode  is  in  the  region 
of  the  absolute  and  not  in  the  phenomenal  realm. 


PRACTICE   OF   DHYANA  149 

A  mind  like  this  naturally  takes  more  to  contem- 
plation than  to  the  strenuous  life ;  it  thinks  more 
and  acts  less ;  it  appreciates  instead  of  criticizing ; 
it  synthesizes  instead  of  analyzing.  The  practice 
of  dhyana,  therefore,  was  the  most  natural  thing 
for  the  Oriental  people. 

The  Western  people  were  not  altogether  unfa- 
miliar with  dhyana,  as  we  can  judge  from  the  life 
of  a  mystic  or  a  medieval  Christian  monk.  But 
their  so-called  contemplation  or  meditation  was 
not  as  systematic  and  did  not  necessarily  form 
a  part  of  their  religious  discipline.  The  Hebrews 
were  too  fanatically  religious  to  allow  them- 
selves the  time  to  reflect.  The  Greeks  were 
rather  scientific  and  intellectual,  while  the 
Romans  were  pre-eminently  practical.  The  Ger- 
man mystics  perhaps  were  more  or  less  after  the 
Hindu  type  in  their  general  mental  constitution, 
but  they  seem  not  to  have  made  the  practice  of 
dhyana  a  prominent  feature  of  their  doctrine. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  there  is  no  doubt  that  dhyana 
is  an  Oriental  production 

What  is  dhyana,  then  ?  Dhyana  literally  means, 
in  Sanskrit,  pacification,  equilibration,  or  tran- 
quillization,  but  as  religious  discipline  it  is  rather 
self-examination  or  introspection.  It  is  not 
necessarily  to  cogitate  on  the  deep  subjects  of 
metaphysics,  nor  is  it  to  contemplate  on  the 
virtues  of  a  deity,  or  on  the  transitoriness  of 
mundane  life.  To  define  its  import  in  Buddhism, 
roughly  and  practically,  it  is  the  habit  of  with- 


150  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

drawing  occasionally  from  the  turbulence  of 
worldliness  and  of  devoting  some  time  to  a  quiet 
inspection  of  one's  own  consciousness.  When 
this  habit  is  thoroughly  established,  a  man  can 
keep  serenity  of  mind  and  cheerfulness  of  dispo- 
sition even  in  the  midst  of  his  whirlwind-like 
course  of  daily  life.  Dhyana  is  then  a  discipline 
in  tranquillization.  It  aims  at  giving  to  a  mind 
the  time  for  deliberation  and  saving  it  from 
running  wild;  it  directs  the  vain  and  vulgar  to 
the  path  of  earnestness  and  reality;  it  makes 
us  feel  interest  in  higher  things  which  are  above 
the  senses;  it  discovers  the  presence  in  us  of 
a  spiritual  faculty  which  bridges  the  chasm 
between  the  finite  and  the  infinite;  and  it  finally 
delivers  us  from  the  bondage  and  torture  of 
•  ignorance,  safely  leading  us  to  the  other  shore 
of  Nirvana. 

Dhyana  is  sometimes  made  a  synonym  for 
gamatha  and  samadhi  and  samapatti.  Qamatha 
is  tranquillity  and  practically  the  same  as 
dhyana,  though  the  latter  is  much  more  frequently 
in  use  than  the  former.  Samapatti  literally  is 
"put  together  evenly"  or  "balanced,"  and  means 
the  equilibrium  of  consciousness  in  which  takes 
place  neither  wakefulness  nor  apathy,  but  in 
which  the  mind  is  calmly  concentrated  on  the 
thought  under  consideration.  Samadhi  is  a  per- 
fect absorption,  voluntary  or  involuntary,  of 
thought  into  the  object  of  contemplation.  A 
mind  is  sometimes  said  to  be  in  a  state  of 


PRACTICE   OF   DHYANA  151 

samadhi  when  it  identifies  itself  with  the  ultimate 
reason  of  existence  and  is  only  conscious  of  the 
unification.     In  this  case,  dhyana  is  the  method 
or  process  that  brings  us  finally  to  samadhi. 
*  *  * 

Now,  the  benefits  arising  from  the  exercise  of 
dhyana  are  more  than  one,  and  are  not  only 
practical  but  moral  and  spiritual.  Nobody  will 
deny  the  most  practical  advantage  gained  through 
presence  of  mind,  moderation  of  temper,  control 
of  feelings,  and  mastery  of  oneself.  A  passion 
may  be  so  violent  at  the  time  of  its  agitation 
that  it  will  fairly  consume  itself  to  utter  destruc- 
tion, but  a  cool-headed  man  knows  well  how  to 
give  it  the  necessary  psychological  time  of  rest 
and  deliberation  and  thus  to  save  himself  from 
plunging  headlong  into  the  Charybdis  of  emotion. 
And  this  cool-headedness,  though  in  some  meas- 
ure due  to  heredity,  is  attainable  through  the 
exercise  of  dhyana. 

Intellectually,  dhyana  will  keep  the  head  clear 
and  transparent  and,  whenever  necessary,  make 
it  concentrate  itself  on  the  subject  at  issue. 
Logical  accuracy  depends  greatly  on  the  dispas- 
sionateness of  the  arguing  mind,  and  scientific 
investigation  gains  much  from  the.  steadiness  of 
the  observing  eye.  Whatever  be  a  man's  intel- 
lectual development,  he  has  surely  nothing  to 
lose,  but  a  great  deal  to  gain,  by  training  him- 
self in  the  habit  of  tranquillization. 

In   these   days   of   industrial   and   commercial 


152  SERMONS  OF  A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

civilization,  the  multitudes  of  people  have  very 
little  time  to  devote  themselves  to  spiritual 
culture.  They  are  not  altogether  ignorant  of 
the  existence  of  things  which  are  of  permanent 
value,  but  their  minds  are  so  engrossed  in  details 
of  everyday  life  that  they  find  it  extremely  diffi- 
cult to  avoid  their  constant  obtrusion.  Even 
when  they  retire  from  their  routine  work  at  night, 
they  are  bent  on  something  exciting  which  will 
tax  their  already  over-stretched  nervous  system 
to  the  utmost.  If  they  do  not  die  prematurely, 
they  become  nervous  wrecks.  They  seem  not  to 
know  the  blessings  of  relaxation.  They  seem  to 
be  unable  to  live  within  themselves  and  find 
there  the  source  of  eternal  cheerfulness.  Life 
is  for  them  more  or  less  a  heavy  burden  and  their 
task  consists  in  the  carrying  of  the  burden.  The 
gospel  of  dhyana,  therefore,  must  prove  to  them 
a  heaven-sent  boon  when  they  conscientiously 
practise  it. 

Dhyana  is  physiologically  the  accumulation  of 
nervous  energy;  it  is  a  sort  of  spiritual  storage 
battery  in  which  an  enormous  amount  of  latent 
force  is  sealed, — a  force  which  will,  whenever 
demand  is  made,  manifest  itself  with  tremendous 
potency.  A  mind  trained  in  dhyana  will  never 
waste  its  energy,  causing  its  untimely  exhaustion. 
It  may  appear  at  times,  when  superficially 
observed,  dull,  uninteresting,  and  dreamy,  but 
it  will  work  wonders  when  the  occasion  arises; 
while  a  mind  ordinarily  addicted  to  dissipation 


PRACTICE   OF   DHYANA  153 

succumbs  to  the  intensity  of  an  impulse  or  a 
stimulus  without  much  struggling,  which  ends  in 
complete  collapse,  for  it  has  no  energy  in  reserve. 
Here,  let  me  remark  incidentally,  can  be  seen 
one  of  the  many  characteristic  differences  between 
Orientalism  and  Occidentalism.  In  all  depart- 
ments of  Oriental  culture  a  strong  emphasis  is 
placed  upon  the  necessity  of  preserving  the 
latent  nervous  energy  and  of  keeping  the  source 
of  spiritual  strength  well  fed  and  nourished. 
Young  minds  are  trained  to  store  up  within  and 
not  to  make  any  wasteful  display  of  their  prowess 
and  knowledge  and  virtue.  It  is  only  shallow 
waters,  they  would  say,  that  make  a  noisy,  rest- 
less stream,  while  a  deep  whirlpool  goes  on 
silently.  The  Occidentals,  as  far  as  I  can  judge, 
seem  to  be  fond  of  making  a  full  display  of  their 
possessions  with  the  frankness  of  a  child ;  and  they 
are  prone  to  a  strenuous  and  dissipating  life 
which  will  soon  drain  all  the  nervous  force  at 
their  command.  They  seem  not  to  keep  any- 
thing in  reserve  which  they  can  make  use  of  later 
on  at  their  leisure.  They  are  indeed  candid 
and  open-hearted — traits  which  sometimes  seem 
wanting  in  the  Orientals.  But  they  certainly 
lack  the  unf athomableness  of  the  latter,  who  never 
seem  to  be  enthusiastic,  clamorous,  or  irrepres- 
sible. The  teaching  of  Lao-tze  or  that  of  the 
BhagavadgUa  was  not  surely  intended  for  the 
Western  nations.  Of  course,  there  are  exceptions 
in  the  West  as  well  as  in  the  East.  Generally 


154  SERMONS   OF  A   BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

speaking,  however,  the  West  is  energetic,  and 
the  East  mystical;  for  the  latter's  ideal  is  to  be 
incomprehensible,  immeasurable,  and  undemon- 
strative even  as  an  absolute  being  itself.  And 
the  practice  of  dhyana  may  be  considered  in  a 
way  one  of  the  methods  of  realizing  this  ideal. 

*  *  * 

In  the  Chandradipa-samddhi  Sutra,  the  benefits 
of  dhy ana-practice  are  enumerated  as  follows: 
(i)  When  a  man  practises  dhyana  according  to 
the  regulation,  all  his  senses  become  calm  and 
serene,  and,  without  knowing  it  on  his  part,  he 
begins  to  enjoy  the  habit.  (2)  Lovingkindness 
will  take  possession  of  his  heart,  which,  then 
freeing  itself  from  sinfulness,  looks  upon  all 
sentient  beings  as  his  brothers  and  sisters.  (3) 
Such  poisonous  and  harassing  passions  as  anger, 
infatuation,  avarice,  etc.,  gradually  retire  from 
the  field  of  consciousness.  (4)  Having  a  close 
watch  over  all  the  senses,  dhyana  guards  them 
against  the  intrusion  of  evils.  (5)  Being  pure 
in  heart  and  serene  in  disposition,  the  practiser 
of  dhyana  feels  no  inordinate  appetite  in  lower 
passions.  (6)  The  mind  being  concentrated  on 
higher  thoughts,  all  sorts  of  temptation  and 
attachment  and  egotism  are  kept  away.  (7) 
Though  he  well  knows  the  emptiness  of  vanity, 
he  does  not  fall  into  the  snare  of  nihilism.  (8) 
However  entangling  the  nets  of  birth  and  death, 
he  is  well  aware  of  the  way  to  deliverance  there- 
from. (9)  Having  fathomed  the  deepest  depths 


PRACTICE    OF   DHYANA  155 

of  the  Dharma,  he  abides  in  the  wisdom  of 
Buddha.  (10)  As  he  is  not  disturbed  by  any 
temptation,  he  feels  like  an  eagle  that,  having 
escaped  from  imprisonment,  freely  wings  his 
flight  through  the  air, 

*  *  * 

The  practice  of  dhyana  is  often  confounded 
with  a  trance  or  self -hypnotism, — a  grave  error 
which  I  here  propose  to  refute.  The  difference 
between  the  two  is  patent  to  every  clear-sighted 
mind,  for  a  trance  is  a  pathological  disturbance 
of  consciousness,  while  dhyana  is  a  perfectly 
normal  state  of  it.  Trance  is  a  kind  of  self- 
illusion  which  is  entirely  subjective  and  cannot 
be  objectively  verified,  but  dhyana  is  a  state  of 
consciousness  in  which  all  mental  powers  are 
kept  in  equilibrium  so  that  no  one  thought  or 
faculty  is  made  predominant  over  others.  It  is 
like  the  pacification  of  turbulent  waters  by  pour- 
ing oil  over  them:  no  waves  are  roaring,  no 
foams  are  boiling,  no  splashes  are  spattering, 
but  a  smooth,  glossy  mirror  of  immense  dimen- 
sion. And  it  is  in  this  perfect  mirror  of  con- 
sciousness that  myriads  of  reflections,  as  it  were, 
come  and  go  without  ever  disturbing  its  serenity. 
In  trances  certain  mental  and  physiological 
functions  are  unduly  accelerated,  while  others 
are  kept  altogether  in  abeyance,  the  whole 
system  of  consciousness  thus  being  thrown  into 
disorder;  and  its  outcome  is  the  loss  of 
equilibrium  in  the  organism — which  is  very 


156  SERMONS   OP   A   BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

opposite  to  what  is  attained  through  the  practice 
of  dhyana. 

Again,  some  superficial  critics  think  that 
Buddhist  dhyana  is  a  sort  of  intense  meditation 
on  some  highly  abstracted  thoughts,  and  that 
the  concentration  which  works  in  the  same  way 
as  self -hypnotism  leads  the  mind  to  the  state 
of  a  trance,  called  Nirvana.  This  is  a  very 
grievous  error  committed  by  those  who  have 
never  comprehended  the  essence  of  religious  con- 
sciousness, for  Buddhist  dhyana  has  nothing  to 
do  with  abstraction  or  hypnotization.  What  it 
proposes  to  accomplish  is  to  make  our  conscious- 
ness realize  the  inner  reason  of  the  universe 
which  abides  in  our  minds.  Dhyana  strives  to 
make  us  acquainted  with  the  most  concrete  and 
withal  the  most  universal  fact  of  life.  It  is  the 
philosopher's  business  to  deal  with  dry,  lifeless, 
uninteresting  generalizations.  Buddhists  are  not 
concerned  with  things  like  that.  They  want  to 
see  the  fact  directly  and  not  through  the  medium 
of  philosophical  abstractions.  There  may  be  a 
god  who  created  heaven  and  earth,  or  there  may 
not;  we  could  be  saved  by  simply  believing  in 
his  goodness,  or  we  could  not;  the  destination 
of  evil-doers  may  be  hell  and  that  of  good  men 
paradise,  or  this  may  be  reversed :  true  Buddhists 
do  not  trouble  themselves  with  such  propositions 
as  these.  Let  them  well  alone;  Buddhists  are 
not  so  idle  and  superficial  as  to  waste  their  time 
in  pondering  over  the  questions  which  have  no 


PRACTICE   OF   DHYANA  157 

vital  concern  with  our  religious  life.  Buddhists 
through  dhyana  endeavor  to  reach  the  bottom 
of  things  and  there  to  grasp  with  their  own 
hands  the  very  life  of  the  universe,  which  makes 
the  sun  rise  in  the  morning,  makes  the  bird 
cheerfully  sing  in  the  balmy  spring  breeze,  and 
also  makes  the  biped  called  man  hunger  for  love, 
righteousness,  liberty,  truth,  and  goodness.  In 
dhyana,  therefore,  there  is  nothing  abstract, 
nothing  dry  as  a  bone  and  cold  as  a  corpse,  but 
all  animation,  all  activity,  and  eternal  revelation. 
Some  Hindu  philosophers,  however,  seem  to 
have  considered  hallucinations  and  self -suggested 
states  of  mind  as  real  and  the  attainment  of 
them  as  the  aim  of  dhyana  practice.  Their 
conception  of  the  eightfold  dhyana-heaven  in 
which  all  sorts  of  angels  are  living  is  evidence 
of  it.  When  the  mythical  beings  in  those  regions 
practise  dhyana,  they  enter  into  different  stages 
of  samadhi.  They  first  come  to  think  that  they 
are  lifted  up  in  the  air  like  a  cloud;  (2)  they 
feel  the  presence  of  some  indescribable  lumi- 
nosity; (3)  they  experience  a  supernatural  joy; 
(4)  their  minds  become  so  clarified  and  trans- 
parent as  to  reflect  all  the  worlds  like  a  very 
brilliant  mirror;  (5)  they  feel  as  if  the  soul  has 
escaped  bodily  confinement  and  expanded  itself 
to  the  immensity  of  space;  (6)  they  now  come 
back  to  a  definite  state  of  consciousness  in  which 
all  mental  functions  are  presented  and  the  past 
and  present  and  future  reveal  themselves;  (7) 


158  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

they  then  have  the  feeling  of  absolute  nothing- 
ness, in  which  not  a  ripple  of  mentation  stirs; 
(8)  lastly,  they  are  not  conscious  of  anything 
particular,  nor  have  they  lost  consciousness, 
and  here  they  are  said  to  have  reached  the 
highest  stage  of  samadhi. 

But  according  to  Buddhism  all  these  visionary 
phenomena  as  the  outcome  of  dhyana  are  rejected, 
for  they  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  realization 
of  the  religious  life.  In  the  £tirangama  Stitra 
fifty  abnormal  conditions  of  consciousness  are 
mentioned  against  which  the  practiser  of  dhyana 
has  to  guard  himself,  and  among  them  we  find 
those  psychical  aberrations  mentioned  above. 
*  *  * 

To  conclude.  Dhyana,  beside  its  being  an 
indispensable  religious  discipline  for  attaining 
enlightenment,  is  one  of  the  most  efficient  means 
of  training  oneself  morally  and  physically.  It 
is  beyond  question  that  dhyana  leads  to  the 
awakening  of  a  hidden  spiritual  faculty  pos- 
sessed by  all  conscious  beings  and  to  the  reali- 
zation of  one's  spiritual  significance  in  spite  of 
the  various  material  limitations.  But,  apart 
from  this  religious  importance,  dhyana  is  sin- 
gularly effective  in  the  tranquillization  of  the 
mind,  the  purification  of  the  heart,  as  well  as 
in  the  relaxation  of  the  nervous  tension.  A 
man  will  never  realize,  until  he  is  thoroughly 
trained  in  dhyana,  how  confused  and  entangled 
his  thoughts  are,  how  susceptible  he  is  and  how 


PRACTICE   OF   DHYANA  159 

easily  his  mind  is  unbalanced,  how  soon  his 
nervous  force  in  reserve  is  exhausted  and  his 
entire  system  is  given  up  to  an  utter  breakdown, 
how  fully  his  senses  are  occupied  in  seeking 
excitement  and  gratification,  and  finally  how 
neglectful  he  has  been  in  the  promotion  of  higher 
and  nobler  interests  of  life  and  in  the  cultivation 
of  refined  thoughts  and  purer  feelings.  Dhyana, 
therefore,  whatever  its  religious  merits,  is  not 
devoid  of  its  practical  utilities  and  even  for  this 
reason  alone  its  exercise  is  universally  to  be 
recommended. 


KWANNON  BOSATZ 

THE  topic  of  my  discourse  to-day  is  Kwannon 
Bosatz,  or  Goddess  of  Mercy  as  she  is  com- 
monly known. 

I  am  not  going,  let  it  be  remarked  at  the 
beginning,  to  make  any  historical  investigation 
of  this  deity,  or  Bodhisattva  according  to  Bud- 
dhist terminology.  I  am  not  concerned  here 
with  the  pedigree  of  Kwannon,  who  was  origi- 
nally a  Hindu  male  deity  of  greatest  energy, 
called  Avalokiteshvara.  Whatever  history  she 
may  have  had  in  ancient  India,  the  deity  is  no 
more  known  to  us  as  she  or  he  was.  According 
to  our  present  knowledge,  Kwannon  has  come 
to  be  identified  with  his  consort  Tara  and  is  no 
longer  a  male  deity  representing  supreme  energy, 
but  as  the  goddess  of  mercy  and  love,  the  prin- 
ciple of  universal  lovingkindness.  We  shall  take 
her,  then,  as  we  understand  her  in  these  latter 
days,  ignoring  altogether  her  historical  develop- 
ment. Moreover,  Kwannon  is  no  more  a  Hindu 
deity,  but  has  completely  been  naturalized  in 
the  Far  Eastern  soil. 

In  my  opinion,  man's  religious  needs  are  essen- 
tially the  same  whether  he  has  his  accidental 


KWANNON    BOSATZ  l6l 

place  of  birth  in  the  East  or  in  the  West.  When 
he  feels  the  needs,  he  endeavors  to  find  the  best 
means  of  gratification  according  as  he  is  situated, 
either  in  his  history  or  tradition  or  folklore  or 
superstitious  beliefs.  From  the  material  thus 
obtained  he  constructs  the  real  thing  needed, 
and  with  his  intellectual  development  he  elabo- 
rates it  and  brings  it  to  perfection.  When  we  see 
this  finished  production  of  man's  inner  religious 
yearnings,  we  altogether  put  aside  its  historical 
relations  and  appreciate  it  as  it  is  as  a  manifes- 
tation of  man's  inner  nature.  Our  consideration 
of  Kwannon  will  then  be  from  this  standpoint. 

Now,  Kwannon  consists  of  two  words,  kwan 
and  on,  which  is  an  abbreviation  of  a  fuller  title, 
Kwan-ze-on.  Kwan  literally  means  "to  see," 
"to  perceive,"  or  "to  look  upon."  But  let  me 
remind  you  that  this  perception  is  not  physical, 
not  sensorial,  but  spiritual,  inward,  and  tran- 
scendental. It  is  an  insight  into  the  true  signifi- 
cance of  things  with  the  mental  eye  which  is 
possessed  by  all  sentient  beings.  The  next  char- 
acter, ze,  means  the  "world"  or  "universe," 
including  everything  that  exists;  and  the  last, 
on,  is  "sound"  or  "voice."  Taken  altogether, 
Kwan-ze-on  is  "one  who  perceives  the  world- 
sound." 

Here  I  have  to  remark  that  the  sound  Kwan- 
non perceives,  it  may  be  known  to  you,  is  not 
physical,  that  it  has  no  reference  to  the  wave- 
motion  of  atmosphere,  which  reaching  our  audi- 


162  SERMONS  OF   A   BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

tory  nerves  is  interpreted  as  sound.  When  we 
view  things  that  are  about  us  with  the  spiritual 
eye,  they  all  become  convertible  to  one  another, 
so  that  one  can  be  expressed  by  the  terms  of 
another:  sound  is  color,  color  is  taste,  odor  is 
sound,  etc.  From  the  sensuous  point  of  view, 
this  is  altogether  incomprehensible,  for  what  the 
eye  sees  is  color  and  what  the  ears  hear  is  sound, 
and  they  are  absolutely  irreducible  to  each  other's 
terms.  In  the  phenomenal  world  individuation 
rules,  and  things  cannot  be  otherwise  than  they 
appear  to  our  particularizing  senses.  But  when 
we  transcend  the  limits  of  phenomenality,  or 
when  we  look  inward  into  the  very  reason  of 
things,  all  forms  of  separation  and  particulariza- 
tion  vanish,  and  taste  becomes  smell,  sight 
becomes  hearing,  etc.,  which  is  characteristic  of 
the  supra-individual  realm  of  ideality. 

This  being  so,  one  who  hears  the  world-sound 
is  no  more  nor  less  than  he  whose  spiritual  insight 
has  gone  deep  into  the  very  foundation  of  exist- 
ence, whose  knowledge  comprehends  everything 
and  understands  the  reason  of  things,  why  they 
are  so  and  not  otherwise,  and  whose  life  and 
thought  are  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  mind 
that  controls  the  destiny  of  the  universe.  He 
has  gone,  as  we  say,  to  the  other  shore,  he  is  a 
Buddha,  the  enlightened. 

If  we  wish  to  reach  this  stage  of  spirituality, 
we  must  train  ourselves  not  to  be  distracted  by 
the  phenomenality  of  things,  but  directly  to 


KWANNON    BOSATZ  163 

envisage  the  ultimate  essence  of  existence  which 
is  free  from  all  modes  of  duality.  In  this,  the 
perceiving  and  the  perceived  are  not  two,  the 
hearing  and  the  heard  are  not  separate,  the  "I" 
and  the  "not  I "  are  not  what  they  appear  to  the 
senses.  But  there  is  but  one  reality  and  we  can 
call  it  by  any  name.  Buddhism  is  not  particular 
in  this  matter  of  designation.  You  may  call  it 
God  or  reason  or  life  or  suchness  or  love,  but  let 
it  only  be  noticed  that  you  must  not  make  it 
something  altogether  outside  this  universe,  nor 
must  you  consider  it  a  mere  abstraction  which 
has  no  business  in  this  concrete  world.  To  avoid 
this  miscomprehension  on  the  part  of  the  -un- 
trained, Buddhism  has  called  it  "Sound"  in  this 
particular  relation  and  declares  that  all  things 
are  of  one  Sound  in  which  every  discordant  note 
is  eternally  synthesized.  Not  only  the  wind  that 
blows,  the  waves  that  roar,  the  flute  that  whis- 
tles, but  the  mountains,  rivers,  oceans,  suns, 
heavens,  and  everything  that  exists,  are  no  more 
than  so  many  variations  of  the  Sound,  eternal, 
ultimate,  and  unifying.  Do  not  think  that  this 
is  too  hidden  and  esoteric;  only  train  yourselves 
in  the  meditation  of  Buddhism,  and  you  come  to 
realize  the  truth  of  my  statement.  First,  recog- 
nize the  oneness  of  the  ultimate  principle,  and 
think  of  its  abiding  in  all  things;  and  you  will 
surely  comprehend  the  point  here  somewhat 
mystically  presented. 

We  often  find  another  appellation  attached  to 


164  SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST    ABBOT 

Kwannon,  the  Goddess  of  Mercy,  and  that  is 
Bodhisattva  (Bosatz  in  Japanese  and  Pu  sa  in 
Chinese).  It  means  a  sentient  being  whose 
essence  is  wisdom,  and  is  a  title  generally  given  to 
a  highly  enlightened,  saintly  Buddhist,  or,  in 
fact,  to  any  sage  of  any  faith. 

What  constitutes  the  essence  of  this  being  is 
love  that  sacrifices  itself  for  the  sake  of  others. 
A  Bodhisattva  will  deny  himself  if  he  knows  that 
by  so  doing  he  can  save  his  fellow-beings  from 
suffering,  misery,  ignorance,  and  self-delusion. 
Or  he  may  assert  himself  if  he  sees  that  his  crea- 
tures can  be  saved  best  through  this  assertion. 
His  only  object  of  life  is  to  benefit  others,  his 
only  principle  of  life  is  love,  and  his  means  of 
achieving  this  end  and  of  realizing  this  principle 
is  wisdom.  He  moves  by  love  and  regulates  his 
movement  by  wisdom.  His  fountain  of  love  is 
inexhaustible,  and  every  feeling  and  thought  and 
desire  and  resolution  and  everything  else  comes 
from  this  divine  source;  but  his  love  does  not 
move  blindly,  but  most  intelligently,  for  he  is 
not  only  pure  in  heart  but  enlightened  in  mind. 
He  knows  that  his  self  is  a  delusion,  that  if  it 
exists  at  all  it  is  in  others  and  not  in  himself, 
that  it  embraces  the  whole  universe  and  is  not 
groaning  within  the  narrowest  and  darkest  cell 
of  his  own  person. 

Kwannon,  therefore,  is  not  only  love  incarnate, 
but  a  representation  of  wisdom  and  enlighten- 
ment. But  as  we  have  wisdom  more  emphatic- 


KWANNON    BOSATZ  165 

ally  represented  by  such  Bodhisattvas  as  Monju 
(Manjucri  in  Sanskrit)  and  Seshi,  we  see  in 
Kwannon  the  virtue  of  lovingkindness  made 
most  predominant,  and  for  this  reason  the  Bo- 
dhisattva  has  come  to  be  represented  as  feminine. 
Whatever  other  virtues  may  be  possessed  by 
woman,  she  is  adored  for  her  tenderness,  loving- 
kindness,  longsuffering,  and  self-sacrifice.  If  she 
be  without  these  qualities,  however  brilliantly 
intellectual  or  majestically  imposing,  she  might 
be  honored  and  respected,  but  she  will  never  be 
an  object  of  worship  and  adoration,  for  nobody 
will  come  before  her,  fall  on  his  knees,  and  ask 
her  for  an  all-embracing  love — love  which  is  pure, 
unselfish,  and  ennobling.  Kwannon,  therefore, 
will  best  be  conceived  as  feminine. 

When  we  ordinarily  speak  of  love,  we  are  apt 
to  think  of  its  blindness  and  exclusiveness.  For 
love  is  contrasted  with  hate  and  associated  with 
impulse.  Because  of  the  former,  love  necessarily 
discriminates  and  is  prone  to  partiality  and  con- 
centration ;  and  because  of  the  latter,  love  moves 
without  regard  to  its  consequence  and  knows  not 
its  ultimate  purpose.  But  the  love  that  makes 
up  the  being  of  Kwannon  is  not  that  kind  of  love, 
but  that  which  is  most  comprehensive  and  uni- 
versal as  to  embrace  the  entire  universe,  just 
and  unjust,  good  and  evil,  pious  and  sacrilegious. 
In  this  love  there  is  not  a  trace  of  partiality  or 
discrimination.  It  is  like  rain  that  falls  on  all 
forms  of  vegetation,  while  each  plant  is  benefited 


l66  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

in  its  own  peculiar  way.  It  is,  again,  like  the  sun 
that  shines  upon  all  forms  of  life,  while  the  latter 
make  use  of  the  sunshine  each  according  to  its 
own  nature.  The  sun  or  rain  thus  benefiting 
everything  harbors  no  thought  of  discrimination. 
Kwannon 's  love  for  all  sentient  beings  is  no  more 
than  an  exhibition  of  the  universal  energy  of 
animation  and  enlightenment,  which  creates, 
fashions,  and  regulates  the  world. 

It  is  now  evident  to  you,  I  believe,  that  in 
such  spiritual  love  as  that  of  Kwannon  there  is 
no  commercialism,  no  mercenary  principle,  which 
says,  "I  give  you  so  much  and  in  return  expect 
from  you  such  favor."  Kwannon  abhors  this 
spirit  of  modern  times  which  penetrates  almost 
every  fibre  of  our  civilization.  If  you  want  to 
worship  Kwannon,  she  must  be  worshiped  in 
spirit  and  truth.  You  must  have  your  heart 
cleansed  of  impurity,  selfishness,  and  ignorance. 
You  must  have  your  egoistic  impulses  baptized 
by  the  water  of  enlightenment.  It  is  only  when 
you  are  pure  in  heart  and  humble  in  spirit  that 
you  are  ushered  into  the  presence  of  Kwannon 
Bosatz  and  become  the  recipient  of  all  her  infinite 
blessings.  This  is  what  Buddhism  would  call 
grace.  Grace  is  not  a  special  favor  conferred 
upon  an  unworthy  subject,  but  the  legitimate 
result  of  self -purification. 

Buddhists  think  love  emanates  from  wisdom 
or  samadhi  or  self -reflection.  As  long  as  we  are 
sense-bound,  we  are  not  able  to  destroy  the  wall 


KWANNON   BOSATZ  167 

of  individuation  and  to  realize  the  universal 
principle  of  love;  and  accordingly  our  love  is 
limited,  impulsive,  and  exclusive.  In  order  to 
realize  the  love  of  Kwannon,  we  must  shake  off 
the  filthy  garment  of  selfishness  by  means  of 
sound  contemplation  and  earnest  self-discipline. 
Unreflective  persons  live  generally  on  the  surface 
of  things.  They  are  unable  to  assort  and  sys- 
tematize the  ever-varying  impressions  which 
they  get  through  the  senses.  They  move  accord- 
ing to  blind  impulses  and  selfish  desires,  by  which 
they  are  bound  hands  and  feet.  They  are  unrea- 
sonable. They  do  not  penetrate  the  bottom  of 
things  where  lies  the  reason  of  existence.  They 
may  sometimes  do  some  noble  deeds,  but  that  is 
not  enlightenment,  only  madness.  What  is  done 
by  fits  and  starts  does  not  constitute  wisdom. 
The  love  that  originates  from  an  impure  source 
cannot  be  made  the  foundation  of  our  religious 
life. 

When  the  love  of  Kwannon  is  made  concrete, 
it  expresses  itself  in  various  forms  according  to 
the  needs  of  circumstance.  In  the  Pundarika 
Sfitra  Kwannon  is  described  as  incarnating  her- 
self in  many  different  personages.  For  instance, 
when  she  sees  it  most  expedient  to  save  a  certain 
class  of  people  through  a  certain  mode  of  expres- 
sion, she  will  assume  the  special  mode  and 
exercise  all  her  influence  in  that  capacity.  She 
will  be  a  philosopher,  or  merchant,  or  man  of 
letters,  or  person  of  low  birth,  or  anything  else 


l68  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

as  required  by  the  occasion,  while  her  sole  aim 
is  to  deliver  all  beings,  without  exception,  from 
ignorance  and  selfishness.  Therefore,  wherever 
there  is  a  heart  groping  in  the  dark,  Kwannon 
will  not  fail  to  extend  her  embracing  arms. 

It  will  be  interesting  in  this  connection  to 
compare  the  activity  of  Kwannon  with  what 
Paul  conceives  of  the  activity  of  God  as  in  his 
first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians  (xii,  4  et  seq.): 
"  Now  there  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but  the  same 
spirit.  And  there  are  differences  of  administra- 
tions, but  the  same  Lord.  And  there  are  diver- 
sities of  operations,  but  it  is  the  same  God  which 
worketh  all  in  all."  .  .  .  . 

This  conception  of  Kwannon,  it  seems  to  me, 
has  had  a  great  influence  in  shaping  the  national 
character  of  my  countrymen.  Whatever  tender- 
ness of  heart  they  may  have,  they  owe  it  to  the 
lovingkindness  of  Kwannon.  Those  who  have 
traveled  in  Japan  must  have  seen  a  great  many 
shrines  dedicated  to  her  and  multitudes  of  people 
gathering  before  them  and  offering  flowers  and 
incense  and  prayers.  This  may  be  a  superstitious 
practice, — this  worshiping  of  a  mythological 
deity;  but  when  we  think  what  spiritual  conso- 
lation and  benefit  the  masses  derive  therefrom, 
we  must  be  a  little  lenient  in  our  judgment  of 
their  intellectual  attainment.  Being  simple- 
hearted,  they  believe  in  the  response  by  Kwan- 
non to  their  earnest  prayers.  The  universal  wave 
of  love  is  vibrating  in  every  sentient  being,  and 


KWANNON    BOSATZ  169 

when  this  innermost  chord  is  touched  through 
the  deepest  spiritual  commotion  one  can  suffer, 
it  vibrates,  and  the  vibration  reaches  the  very 
source  of  life,  which  is  the  love  of  Kwannon, 
and  there  takes  place  the  phenomenon  called 
communion.  The  universal  love-principle  has 
thus  made  itself  known  to  the  human  heart. 

To  add  one  more  word.  It  seems  to  me  that 
the  Virgin  Mary  of  your  religion  corresponds  to 
the  Buddhist  Goddess  of  Mercy,  Kwannon 
Bosatz.  Human  nature  everywhere  seems  to 
request  what  Goethe  calls  "eternal  femininity.'* 
Christians  according  to  their  needs  have  created 
Maria.  Though  she  is  a  historical  figure,  she 
has  been  invested  with  all  the  necessary  qualities 
that  will  satisfy  their  inner  yearnings.  Buddhists 
have  Kwannon,  who,  whatever  her  historical 
standing  in  critical  Buddhism,  fully  answers  their 
religious  cravings.  From  the  Christian  point  of 
view,  Kwannon  is  a  Maria  incarnate;  and  from 
the  Buddhist  standpoint,  Maria  is  "a  represen- 
tative of  Kwannon  among  a  class  of  people  who 
designate  themselves  Christians.  The  truth  must 
be  one  and  humanity  the  same  everywhere,  and 
it  is  my  earnest  wish  that  the  time  will  soon 
come  when  the  East  and  the  West  will  all  join 
in  the  adoration  of  truth,  disregarding  all  their 
accidental  differences  and  contradictions. 


BUDDHISM  AND  ORIENTAL  CULTURE1 

ONE  of  the  features  peculiar  to  Buddhism 
and  which  appeals  most  powerfully  to 
Oriental  imagination  is  that  man's  life  is  not 
limited  to  this  existence  only,  that  if  he  thinks, 
feels,  and  acts  truthfully,  nobly,  virtuously, 
unselfishly,  he  will  live  forever  in  these  thoughts, 
sentiments,  and  works ;  for  anything  good,  beau- 
tiful, and  true  is  in  accordance  with  the  reason 
of  existence,  and  is  destined  to  have  a  life  eternal. 
It  is  not  the  ideal  of  the  Buddhist  life  to 
escape  worldliness  and  to  enter  into  eternal 
stillness,  as  is  sometimes  understood  by  Occi- 
dental scholars.  Buddhists  do  not  shun  struggle 
and  warfare.  If  a  cause  is  worth  contending 
for  or  defending,  they  will  not  hesitate  to  sacrifice 
for  it  not  only  this  life  but  all  of  their  future  lives. 
They  will  appear  upon  this  earth  over  and  again 
and  will  not  rest  until  they  have  gained  the  end, 
that  is,  until  they  have  attained  the  ideal  of  life. 
Man,  therefore,  lives  as  long  as  his  ideas  and 
feelings  conform  to  the  reason  of  the  universe. 
This  is  the  Buddhist  conception  of  life  eternal. 

Address    at    the  George  Washington   University,   April, 
1906. 

170 


BUDDHISM   AND   ORIENTAL   CULTURE          171 

If  I  am  not  mistaken,  it  was  at  the  time  of  the 
Independence  War,  or  it  might  have  occurred 
somewhere  in  the  Old  Country, — you  will  pardon 
my  imperfect  memory, — but  the  fact  is  that  a 
military  officer  who  served  as  a  spy  for  his  native 
country  was  caught  by  the  enemy  and  was 
sentenced  to  be  hung.  At  the  execution  the 
officer  exclaimed,  "The  pity  is  that  I  have  only 
one  life  to  sacrifice  for  my  country."  Pity 
indeed  it  was  that  the  officer  did  not  know  the 
truth  and  fact  that  from  his  very  corpse  there 
have  risen  so  many  patriotic  spirits  breathing  the 
same  breath  that  he  breathed.  He  was  not 
dead,  he  was  never  hung,  he  did  not  vanish  into 
an  unknown  region ;  but  he  is  living  a  life  eternal, 
he  is  being  born  generation  after  generation, 
not  only  in  his  own  country,  but  also  in  my 
country,  and  in  your  country,  and  in  fact  all 
over  the  three  thousand  worlds  (as  they  were 
believed  to  be  existing  in  Hindu  mythology). 

In  this  respect  a  Buddhist  general  quite  famous 
in  the  history  of  Japan  had  a  decided  advantage 
over  the  Christian  officer  just  mentioned.  The 
general  is  still  worshiped  in  Japan  as  the  type 
of  loyalty  and  patriotism.  He  lived  about  six 
hundred  years  ago.  Before  the  Emperor  of  the 
time  came  to  know  him,  he  was  a  rather  obscure 
general  and  would  have  died  without  imprinting 
his  immortal  name  on  the  pages  of  Japanese 
history.  But  Fate  decreed  otherwise,  and  he 
was  requested  by  the  Emperor  to  lead  his  royal 


172      SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

army  against  the  invading  enemy,  who  greatly 
outnumbered  his  forces  and  was  led  by  a  very 
able  general.  Masashig6,  which  is  the  name  of 
our  hero,  had  his  own  plan  as  to  how  best  to 
make  a  stand  against  the  onslaught  of  the  over- 
whelming enemy.  But  some  ignorant  court 
favorite  influenced  the  Emperor  and  the  hero's 
proposition  could  not  prevail.  He  then  knew 
he  was  going  to  fight  a  losing  battle,  but  deter- 
mined to  do  his  best  under  the  circumstances, 
if  necessary  to  fight  to  the  bitter  end.  At  last 
came  the  day,  and  the  enemy  developed  the  plan 
as  he  had  calculated.  There  was  nothing  for 
him  to  do  but  to  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy 
as  long  as  he  could,  so  that  the  Emperor  could 
find  time  enough  to  make  his  safe  escape  from 
the  capital.  He  fought  most  gallantly,  and 
repeatedly  repulsed  the  furious  attacks  of  the 
enemy.  But  many  times  outnumbered,  and 
occupying  a  strategically  disadvantageous  posi- 
tion, and  himself  covered  with  many  wounds, 
he  saw  the  uselessness  of  further  resistance. 
He  then  gathered  his  commanding  generals 
around  him  and  asked  them  if  they  had  anything 
to  desire  in  this  life  before  they  bid  farewell  to 
all  things  earthly.  They  replied  that  they  had 
done  everything  within  their  power,  their  obli- 
gations were  completely  filled,  and  there  was 
nothing  more  to  be  desired.  But  our  hero, 
Masashige,  made  a  solemn  utterance:  "I  pray 
that  I  be  born  seven  times  on  this  earth  and 


BUDDHISM   AND   ORIENTAL   CULTURE  173 

crush  all  the  enemies  of  our  Imperial  House." 
They  all  then  drew  their  daggers  and  put  an  end 
to  their  present  lives. 

I  do  not  know  how  this  story  strikes  you 
Christian  audience,  but  upon  us  Buddhists  it 
makes  a  very  profound  impression.  It  seems 
to  be  pregnant  with  a  great  religious  significance. 
It  is  not  altogether  necessary  to  specify  how 
many  times  we  are  to  be  reborn.  Let  us  only 
have  a  thought  or  feeling  that  is  worth  preserv- 
ing and  actualizing,  and  we  shall  come  to  this 
life  as  many  times  as  is  necessary  to  complete 
the  task,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world.  Let  us 
only  do  what  is  in  accordance  with  the  reason 
of  things,  and  the  work,  which  is  no  more  than  the 
world-reason  actualized,  will  create  a  new  agency 
as  needed  through  successive  generations.  This 
corporeal  existence,  this  particular  temporary 
combination  of  feelings  and  thoughts  and  desires, 
may  dissolve,  may  not  last  forever  as  it  is,  for 
it  is  no  more  than  an  agent  in  the  hands  of  the 
world-soul  to  execute  its  own  end.  When  it 
decrees  that  its  agent  must  put  on  a  new  garment, 
this  will  take  place  as  it  is  willed.  "Let  there 
be  light,"  it  commands,  and  behold  there  it  is! 

It  is  not  Buddhistic,  therefore,  to  hanker  after 
personal  immortality  and  to  construct  diversity 
of  theories  to  satisfy  this  illegitimate  hankering. 
Do  whatever  you  think  right  and  be  sincere 
with  it  and  the  work  will  take  care  of  itself, 
hankering  or  no  hankering  after  immortality. 


174  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

My  Japanese  hero  gave  an  utterance  to  his  inner 
feeling  and  conviction  only  to  make  his  generals 
perfectly  understand  the  significance  of  his  and 
their  work.  He  did  not  mean  to  come  to  this 
life  exactly  seven  times,  nor  did  he  mean  to 
continue  his  personal  existence  as  he  was  indi- 
vidually. He  did  mean  this,  that  his  work 
should  find  its  new  executors  in  the  form  of  a 
worshiper  or  an  imitator  or  a  successor  or  a  dis- 
ciple or  a  friend,  who  would  be  inspired  by  that 
noble  example.  And  most  certainly  did  he  find 
a  legion  of  his  selves  following  closely  behind  his 
back.  Are  not  all  loyal  and  patriotic  soldiers 
and  sailors  who  died  in  the  recent  war  with 
Russia  all  the  incarnations  of  our  most  beloved 
hero-general,  Masashige?  Did  he  not  find  his 
selves  in  all  those  brave,  courageous,  self -sacri- 
ficing hearts?  Was  he  not  leading  in  spirit  all 
these  soldiers  to  the  execution  of  the  work  he 
once  planned?  Who  says,  then,  that  the  hero 
breathed  his  last  when  he  fought  this  losing 
battle  some  six  hundred  years  ago?  Is  he  not 
indeed  still  living  in  the  heart  of  every  patriotic 
and  loyal  citizen  of  Japan,  nay,  of  any  people 
that  aspires  to  be  a  nation? 

When  the  late  commander  Hirose  went  to 
blockade  the  entrance  to  Port  Arthur,  he  must 
have  been  inspired  by  the  same  sentiment  which 
he  expressed  in  his  swan  song;  he  must  have 
become  conscious  of  the  immortality  of  the  work 
in  which  he  has  thoroughly  incarnated  himself. 


BUDDHISM   AND   ORIENTAL   CULTURE  175 

In  his  last  utterance  he  put  this  in  verse :  "  Though 
I  may  die  here  while  executing  this  work,  I  will 
come  back  seven  times  over  and  again  to  dis- 
charge my  duties  for  my  country.  I  have  nothing 
to  fear,  nothing  to  desire  at  the  present  moment. 
Calmly  and  smilingly  I  embark  on  this  fated 
boat."1  Can  we  not  say  here  that  the  idea 
which  was  our  long  deceased  hero  himself,  found 
its  conscious  expression  in  this  brave  Commander? 
Those  who  fell  in  the  field  and  on  the  water  were 
equally  his  incarnations,  only  with  this  difference 
that  the  former  gave  utterance  to  his  conscious 
sentiment,  while  the  latter  remained  mute, 
though  in  their  inmost  hearts  the  same  sentiment 
was  moving.  If  otherwise,  how  could  they  enjoy 
that  serene  contentedness  which  characterized 
every  stricken  warrior  of  my  country  in  the 
recent  war? 

Some  may  say  that  this  is  fatalism  or  deter- 
minism, but  every  clear-headed  thinker  would 
see  in  this  not  a  fatalistic  conception  of  life  but 
a  hopeful  solution  of  existence,  a  firm  belief  in 
the  final  triumph  of  good  over  evil,  and  the  calm 
assurance  that  the  individual  lives  as  long  as  it 
identifies  itself  with  a  noble  thought,  worthy 
work,  exalted  sentiment,  uplifting  impulse,  in 
short,  with  anything  that  cements  the  brotherly 
tie  of  all  mankind.  Those  who  are  used  to  look 
at  things  from  the  individualistic  point  of  view 
may  not  understand  very  clearly  what  I  have  so 
memory. 


176  SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

far  endeavored  to  explain  to  you;  but  the  fact 
is,  however  tenaciously  we  may  cling  to  our  indi- 
vidual existences,  we  are  utterly  helpless  when 
that  which  comprehends  everything  wills  other- 
wise than  our  selfish  desires;  we  have  but  to 
submit  meekly  to  the  ordinance  of  the  un- 
known power  and  to  let  it  work  out  its  own 
destiny  regardless  of  ourselves.  When  Schleier- 
macher  defines  religion  as  a  feeling  of  absolute 
dependence,  he  has  rightly  laid  his  hand  on  that 
indefinable,  uncertain  sense  which  lurks  in  the 
dark  recesses  of  every  conscious  mind, — the 
sense  which  intuitively  recognizes  the  weakness 
of  individuals  as  such,  but  which  feels  an  immense 
strength  in  their  identification  with  a  supra- 
individual  being  or  power.  In  this,  it  must  be 
evident  to  you,  there  is  nothing  fatalistic  nor 
fantastic. 

All  sincere  Buddhists  are  firmly  convinced  of 
the  truth  of  non-egoism,  and  they  do  not  think 
that  the  value  of  an  individual  as  such  is  ulti- 
mate. On  account  of  this,  they  are  not  at  all 
disturbed  at  the  moment  of  death ;  they  calmly 
accept  the  ordinance  and  let  the  world-destiny 
accomplish  what  end  it  may  have  in  view.  This 
freedom  from  the  individualistic  view  of  life 
seems  to  have  largely  contributed  to  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  Japanese  military  culture  known  as 
Bushido.  Old  Japanese  soldiers,  nobles,  and  men 
of  letters,  therefore,  displayed  a  certain  sense  of 
playfulness  even  at  the  most  critical  moment 


BUDDHISM    AND    ORIENTAL    CULTURE  177 

when  the  question  of  life  and  death  was  to  be 
decided  without  the  least  hesitation.  This  play- 
fulness, as  I  view  it,  stands  in  a  marked  contrast 
to  the  pious,  prayerful  attitude  of  the  Christians 
in  their  dying  moments. 

'Ota  Dokwan,  a  great  Japanese  statesman- 
general  of  some  four  hundred  years  ago,  was 
assassinated  in  his  own  castle  by  a  band  of  spies 
sent  by  his  enemy.  They  surrounded  him  when 
he  was  altogether  unarmed.  He  was  stabbed, 
and  he  fell  on  the  ground,  covered  with  wounds 
and  helpless.  One  of  the  assassins  approached 
closer,  and  applying  the  dagger  at  the  victim's 
throat  to  finish  their  cowardly  work,  he  asked 
what  the  unfortunate  general  had  to  say  before 
he  bade  farewell  to  this  world.  The  general 
most  calmly  answered : 

"At  the  moment  like  this 
It  must  be  a  struggle  indeed 
To  part  with  this  life  so  dear, 
If  I  had  not  abandoned  altogether 
The  thought  of  ego,  which  is  a  non-reality." 

Finding  peace  of  heart  in  this  solution  of  life, 
Buddhists,  whatever  their  social  positions,  are 
ever  ready  to  sacrifice  their  lives  for  a  cause 
which  demands  them.  They  know  that  the 
present  individual  existences  will  come  to  an 
end,  they  will  not  be  able  to  see  the  faces  dearest 
to  them,  to  hear  the  voices  tenderest  to  them, 
as  they  depart  from  this  world;  but  they  know 
at  the  same  time  that  spiritually  they  live  for- 


178      SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

ever  and  are  in  constant  communication  with 
their  friends,  that  they  never  lead  a  solitary, 
unconnected  life  in  some  invisible  region.  What 
Buddhism  has  contributed  to  Japanese  culture 
is  its  higher  conception  of  life  and  nobler  inter- 
pretation of  death. 

Buddhists  do  not  think  that  "I"  is  "I"  and 
"you"  is  "you"  when  each  of  us  is  separated 
from  the  other.  "I"  is  possible  when  "you" 
exists,  so  with  "you"  who  is  possible  through 
the  existence  of  "I."  This  consideration  is  very 
important,  as  it  constitutes  one  of  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  Buddhist  ethics.  For  accord- 
ing to  Buddhism  an  unconditional  assertion  of 
egoism  is  due  to  the  ignorance  of  the  significance 
of  the  individual.  Most  people  imagine  that  the 
individual  is  a  final  reality,  stands  by  itself,  has 
nothing  to  do  with  other  fellow-individuals;  in 
fact  their  existence  is  tolerated  only  so  far  as  it 
does  not  interfere  with  his  own  interests.  They 
first  build  a  formidable  fort  around  individualism 
and  look  down  at  their  surroundings,  thinking 
that  the  position  must  be  defended  at  all  costs. 
For  it  is  their  conception  of  life  that  with  the 
downfall  of  individualism  the  universe  goes  to 
pieces. 

The  Oriental  mode  of  thinking,  however,  differs 
from  this.  We  take  our  standpoint  first  on  that 
which  transcends  individuals,  or  we  take  into 
our  consideration  first  that  which  comprehends 
all  finite  things,  that  which  determines  the 


BUDDHISM   AND   ORIENTAL   CULTURE  179 

destiny  of  the  universe;  and  then  we  come  down 
into  this  world  of  relativity  and  conditionality, 
and  believe  that  the  earth  will  sooner  or  later 
pass  away  according  to  the  will  of  that  which 
controls  it.  That  is  to  say,  individuals  will  not 
stay  here  forever,  though  the  whole  which  com- 
prises individuals  will.  Therefore,  Oriental  ethics 
considers  it  of  paramount  importance  to  preserve 
the  whole  at  all  hazards,  whatever  may  be  the 
fate  of  individuals. 

For  instance,  suppose  my  country  is  threatened 
by  a  powerful  enemy,  and  I  will,  when  called  for, 
sacrifice  everything  personal  and  try  to  do  my 
best  for  the  conservation  of  my  national  honor 
and  safety.  This  is  what  is  called  patriotism. 
My  parents  are  old  and  they  are  not  able  to  take 
care  of  themselves,  and  I  will  do  everything  for 
their  comfort  and  alleviate  the  loneliness  of  their 
declining  age.  Did  they  not  bring  me  up  to  this 
stage  of  manhood?  Did  they  not  go  through 
all  forms  of  hardship  for  my  sake?  Did  they  not 
care  for  me  with  infinite  tenderness  of  heart? 
Do  I  not  owe  them  all  that  I  am  to-day?  Did 
they  not  help  me  to  this  position  and  enable  me 
to  do  whatever  is  within  my  power  for  the  wel- 
fare and  preservation  of  the  whole  to  which  I 
belong?  When  I  think  of  this,  the  feeling  of 
gratitude  weighs  heavily  on  me,  and  I  endeavor 
to  be  relieved  of  it  by  doing  all  acts  of  loving- 
kindness  to  my  parents.  This  is  what  you  call 
filial  piety,  and  the  same  consideration  will  apply 


180  SERMONS   OF   A    BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

to  the  cases  of  teachers,   elder  people,   friends, 
and  family. 

Whatever  be  the  defects  of  Oriental  ethics, — 
and  I  think  they  are  not  a  few, — I  firmly  believe 
that  what  makes  Oriental  culture  so  unique  is 
due  to  the  emphasis  laid  upon  patriotism,  filial 
piety,  faithfulness,  and  abnegation  of  self. 
*  *  * 

Before  concluding,  I  wish  to  add  a  few  words 
as  a  Buddhist  subject  of  Japan.  All  the  world 
knows  what  Japan  has  achieved  so  far  in  the 
history  of  mankind,  especially  what  she  has 
accomplished  in  her  gigantic  struggle  with  a  most 
powerful  nation  of  Europe.  There  must  have 
been  many  causes  and  conditions  through  a 
happy  combination  of  which  Japan  was  able  to 
do  what  she  has  done;  and  among  those  con- 
ditions I  would  count  the  influence  of  American 
friendship  and  sympathy  as  one  of  the  most 
powerful.  If  America  had  tried  to  play  some 
high-handed  diplomacy,  imitating  some  of  the 
European  powers,  she  could  have  easily  seized 
my  country  and  held  it  under  subjection  since 
Commodore  Perry's  entrance  into  Uraga.  The 
fact  that  the  United  States  did  not  stoop  to  play 
a  mean  trick  upon  Japan  helped  not  a  little  to 
lift  her  to  the  present  position.  For  that  reason, 
we,  people  of  Japan,  owe  a  great  deal  to  you, 
people  of  the  United  States  of  America. 

As  a  Buddhist  I  have  been  long  thinking  how 
best  to  repay  this  special  favor  received  from  the 


BUDDHISM    AND   ORIENTAL   CULTURE          l8l 

friendly  people  among  whom  I  am  traveling  now. 
You  have  everything  you  need  in  the  line  of 
material,  industrial,  commercial  civilization.  By 
this  I  do  not  mean  that  you  are  wanting  in  spir- 
itual culture  and  moral  refinement,  but  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  it  would  not  be  altogether 
inappropriate  to  ask  you  to  get  more  and  more 
acquainted  with  what  constitutes  Oriental  cul- 
ture and  religious  belief.  And  it  shall  be  my 
duty  and  pleasure  to  make  such  an  opportunity 
of  mutual  understanding  readily  possible  in 
every  way.  Accordingly,  I  thank  you,  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  for  your  efforts  which  have  resulted 
in  this  enjoyable  meeting  with  each  other. 


THE  STORY  OF  DEER  PARK1 

BRAHMADATTA,  king  of  Baranasi,  one  day 
went  out  hunting  in  the  forest,  where  he 
saw  two  groups  of  deer,  each  of  which  consisted 
of  five  hundred  individuals  and  was  escorted  by 
a  leader.  One  of  them  wore  a  coat  decorated 
in  the  colors  of  the  seven  precious  jewels.  He 
was  one  of  the  former  incarnations  of  Bodhisattva 
Shaky amuni,  while  the  other  leader  was  that 
of  Devadatta. 

The  Deer-Bodhisattva  was  greatly  grieved  at 
the  sight  of  so  many  of  his  fellow-animals  being 
killed  by  the  royal  hunting  party.  His  great 
loving  heart  was  stirred  to  its  core  and  he  could 
not  endure  any  longer  to  witness  the  butchery. 
He  determined  to  see  the  king  in  person  and  to 
have  the  matter  settled  in  a  more  humane  way. 
When  he  moved  forward,  a  veritable  shower  of 
arrows  greeted  him,  but  he  was  not  to  be  over- 
come and  made  a  steady  advance  towards  the 
king.  Observing  this  indomitable  resolution  dis- 
played by  the  Deer-Bodhisattva,  the  king  ordered 

JDeer  Park  in  Benares  was  the  place  where  Buddha 
first  caused  the  Wheel  of  the  Good  Law  to  revolve.  See  the 
beginning  of  the  Sutra  of  Forty-two  Chapters. 

182 


THE   STORY   OF   DEER   PARK  183 

the  party  to  cease  shooting  and  allowed  him  to 
approach  unmolested. 

Said  the  deer,  "It  grieves  my  heart  to  see  so 
many  innocent  creatures  sacrificed  merely  to 
gratify  your  selfish  passions.  If  you  wish  to 
have  us  for  your  table,  we  could  arrange  to  send 
you  each  day  one  victim,  to  be  chosen  alternately 
from  our  two  groups.  Only  let  us  be  spared 
from  a  general  massacre."  The  king  consented 
to  this  arrangement. 

For  a  while  the  plan  worked  without  obstruc- 
tion, but  now  it  happened  that  a  prospective 
mother-doe  had  to  be  chosen  for  the  victim. 
She  was  exceedingly  mortified  over  the  ill  fate, 
not  for  her  own  sake,  but  for  that  of  her  baby 
that  was  coming  to  see  the  light  ere  long.  She 
went  to  Devadatta,  to  whose  group  she  belonged, 
and  asked  him  for  a  special  dispensation,  saying 
that  "  It  being  my  fate  to  be  sacrificed  this  time, 
I  have  no  complaint  to  make  as  far  as  I  alone 
am  concerned,  but  the  baby  I  am  about  to  give 
birth  to  is  not  to  be  deprived  of  existence  with 
its  mother,  for  its  doomsday  has  not  yet  arrived. 
Would  that  your  majesty  would  contrive  some 
means  to  execute  the  plan  as  arranged  and  yet 
to  save  my  innocent  child." 

But  Devadatta  was  cold-hearted  and  bluntly 
said,  "Who  in  the  world  desires  to  be  killed? 
Does  not  every  living  creature  wish  to  preserve 
its  life  as  long  as  it  can?  The  turn  is  yours. 
Be  gone,  and  no  more  of  this  wailing." 


184  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

The  doe  thought  within  herself  that  she  did 
not  at  all  deserve  the  wrath  of  Devadatta,  and 
this  added  to  her  grief  and  despondence.  But 
a  happy  idea  occurred  to  her.  As  the  last  resort 
she  resolved  to  go  and  see  the  Bodhisattva, 
asking  him  if  he  knew  some  way  of  saving  her 
at  this  critical  moment.  Being  questioned  by 
him  as  to  the  steps  taken  by  Devadatta  concern- 
ing this  matter,  she  said:  "My  king  has  no 
compassion  for  me,  but  is  enraged  without  due 
cause — it  seems  to  me.  I  know,  however,  that 
your  love  is  boundless  and  that  you  are  the  last 
refuge  for  the  helpless  and  despondent.  This  is 
the  reason  why  I,  though  not  belonging  to  your 
group,  am  here  to  ask  for  your  infinite  wisdom." 

The  Bodhisattva  took  a  great  pity  on  the 
despairing  mother-doe  and  thought :  "If  she 
has  to  be  sacrificed,  her  innocent  unborn  child 
will  have  to  share  the  same  fate.  If  a  substitute 
were  to  be  selected,  an  injustice  would  be  done. 
The  only  person  that  could  take  her  place  with- 
out disturbing  the  prearranged  order  is  nobody 
else  than  myself.  I  shall  then  be  the  victim  this 
time  instead  of  the  mother-doe." 

Coming  to  this  conclusion,  the  Bodhisattva 
offered  himself  to  the  king  as  the  victim  of  the 
day.  Asked  the  king,  "What  brings  you  here? 
Are  all  your  deer  gone  already?"  Replied  the 
Bodhisattva,  "Your  grace  and  benevolence  is 
known  the  world  over,  and  nobody  would  dare 
violate  your  injunctions ;  but  it  grieves  me  to  see 


THE   STORY   OF   DEER  PARK  185 

the  propagation  of  my  race  unnecessarily  checked. 
I  have  come  to  the  knowledge  of  such  a  case 
to-day  and  I  pity  it.  If  I  make  any  change  in 
the  order  of  victims  as  arranged  at  the  outset, 
it  will  be  unreasonable.  If  I  do  not  save  the 
mother,  it  is  against  the  nature  of  a  sentient 
being.  This  is  the  reason  why  I  present  myself 
to-day  before  you.  Life  is  short  and  everything 
is  subject  to  the  law  of  impermanence.  Why 
shall  I  not  practise  lovingkindness  while  I  am 
yet  alive?" 

The  king  was  greatly  moved  by  the  words  of 
the  Bodhisattva  and  expressed  his  deep  appre- 
ciation as  follows :  "  It  is  myself  and  not  you  that 
belongs  to  the  beastly  creation.  I  am  a  deer  in 
a  man's  form.  Though  you  are  in  appearance  a 
lower  animal,  you  are  in  heart  a  human  being. 
What  makes  one  differ  from  another  is  not  out- 
ward signs  but  inner  reason.  If  endowed  with 
a  loving  heart,  though  a  beast  in  form,  one  is 
human.  From  this  day  I  swear  not  to  delight 
any  more  in  partaking  of  animal  flesh.  Fear  not, 
my  friend,  but  be  at  ease  forever." 

It  was  in  this  wise  that  the  forest  was  reserved 
for  the  deer  to  roam  about  in  as  they  pleased 
and  came  to  be  known  as  Deer  Park. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  GEM-HUNTING1 

IN  ancient  times  there  was  a  king  who  had 
among  his  valuable  possessions  a  precious 
stone  which  he  most  highly  prized.  An  attendant 
of  his  one  day  dropped  it  accidentally  in  a  very 
deep  lake  which  was  in  his  palace  garden.  The 
king  was  greatly  troubled  and  immediately  made 
an  inquiry  among  his  subjects  whether  there  was 
any  one  who  could  locate  the  precious  treasure 
in  the  water  and  safely  restore  it  to  his  hands, 
adding  that  such  a  one  would  receive  a  hand- 
some reward. 

There  was  among  his  retainers  a  man  called 
Clear-Sighted,  whose  optical  power  was  consid- 
ered almost  supernatural,  and  everybody  thought 
that  he  was  the  man  who  could  find  the  lost 
gem  in  the  lake,  however  deep  and  wide  it  might 
be.  The  man  was  brought  before  the  king*  and 
was  directly  commissioned  to  make  a  search  for 
the  gem. 

Clear-Sighted  dived  deep  into  the  water  and 
tried  to  locate  the  precious  stone  at  its  bottom. 
But,  singularly,  his  sight  did  not  avail  him  to  any 

xThis  story  was  told  by  the  Rev.  Shaku  to  illustrate 
Chapter  9  of  the  Sutra  of  Forty-two  Chapters. 

186 


THE   STORY   OF   THE   GEM-HUNTING  l8f 

great  extent,  for  he  was  utterly  unable  to  observe 
it  anywhere.  The  harder  he  strove  the  dimmer 
became  his  sight.  Completely  disappointed  at 
this  unexpected  discovery  of  his  shortsightedness, 
he  came  out  from  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  and 
reported  his  miserable  failure  to  the  king,  whose 
mortification  now  knew  no  bounds. 

The  king  did  not  know  what  to  do;  he  could 
not  reconcile  himself  to  the  new  situation.  A 
long  consultation  was  held  again,  but  no  one 
seemed  to  be  able  to  solve  the  problem  in  a 
practical  way.  In  despair  they  finally  came  to 
test  a  most  unusual  method,  which  seemed  almost 
absurd  and  ridiculous. 

They  knew  there  was  a  man  called  Sightless, 
and  thought  if  Clear-Sighted  was  of  no  avail 
this  blind  man  might  be  found  useful  in  such  a 
case  as  this,  which  was  so  extraordinary.  At 
any  rate,  the  attempt  would  not  result  in  making 
the  situation  worse.  Things  miraculous  have 
frequently  been  performed  by  the  blind,  and 
why  not  in  this  case? 

Sightless  was  sent  for  and  asked  to  go  down 
into  the  water  and  find  the  lost  gem.  The  man 
went  down  as  he  was  told,  without  any  pro- 
testation. When  he  came  out  after  a  short 
time,  the  treasure  was  in  his  hand.  The  king 
was  overjoyed  and  rewarded  him  most  gen- 
erously 

The  moral  of  this  allegorical  story  is  that 
much  cunning  and  great  learning  are  not  the 


l88  SERMONS    OF   A    BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

most  effective  means,  as  ordinarily  supposed,  to 
obtain  the  priceless  gem  of  religious  truth,  but 
that  the  simple  in  heart  and  poor  in  spirit  will 
find  the  way  to  heavenly  bliss. 


THE  SACRIFICE  FOR  A  STANZA1 

IN  one  of  his  many  previous  births  on  this 
earth,  Buddha  appeared  as  a  son  of  a  Hindu 
prince.  Desirous  to  gain  spiritual  insight  into 
the  ultimate  reason  of  existence,  he  retired  to 
the  solitude  and  quietness  of  the  mountains,  as 
was  customary  in  India,  and  became  deeply 
absorbed  in  meditation.  He  thought:  "Life  is 
misery;  it  is  nothing  but  a  series  of  sufferings. 
How  can  I  escape  this  everlasting  torture? 
Unless  I  gain  all-knowledge  and  grasp  eternal 
life  and  realize  perfect  bliss,  it  is  of  no  use  to 
come  here  and  live  this  life  repeatedly.  Of  what 
worth  is  this  life  to  me,  to  all  beings,  unless  we 
escape  the  curse  of  ignorance  by  penetrating  the 
ultimate  foundation  of  existence?  Until  I  gain 
enlightenment  and  immortality,  I  will  not  move 
from  my  seat  which  I  have  taken  here  under  this 
tree,  and  I  will  bring  all  my  spiritual  powers 
into  activity  toward  that  end.  If  I  am  fortunate 
enough  to  realize  it,  I  will  not  keep  the  spiritual 


the  Mahanirvana  Sutra  (Nanjo's  Catalogue, 
No.  113).  This  story  was  told  to  explain  the  miraculous 
origin  of  the  famous  stanza  beginning  with  "Anicca  vata 
sankhara."  See  the  sermon  "The  Phenomenal  and  the 
Supra-phenomenal."  (Seep,  in.) 

189 


SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST    ABBOT 

bliss  all  to  myself,  but  will  proclaim  it  to  all 
sentient  beings  on  earth,  and  enlighten  them, 
and  make  them  happy  as  well." 

It  was  midnight  and  silence  reigned  upon  the 
earth.  Buddha  was  deeply  enwrapt  in  his 
thoughts.  Suddenly  he  heard  a  voice  which 
came  from  nowhere  he  knew.  It  did  not  sound 
like  a  human  voice;  it  was  clear,  penetrating, 
and  resounding;  he  thought  the  universe  was 
filled  with  a  resonant  reverberation  of  this 
mysterious  voice.  As  he  listened  to  it  he  could 
understand  these  two  lines  of  a  gatha: 

"All  component  things  are  transient; 
The  law  is  to  be  born  and  die." 

When  he  could  make  out  these  two  lines,  a 
spiritual  illumination  came  over  his  mind,  and 
he  felt  in  himself  something  superhuman,  some- 
thing divine.  His  mind  became  so  widened  as 
to  embrace  the  entire  universe,  and  he  experi- 
enced a  feeling  of  inexpressible  joy.  He  looked 
across  the  valley,  and  lo!  there  his  gaze  fell  on  a 
hideous  monster  straightway  confronting  him. 
Buddha  was  bewildered  and  did  not  know  what 
this  all  meant. 

The  monster  was  a  Yaksha,  so  inhuman  and 
awe-inspiring,  with  the  eye  so  furiously  glaring 
on  Buddha,  and  the  mouth  stained  with  dripping 
blood.  It  was  this  monstrous  devil  that  had  just 
recited  those  two  lines  which  had  so  greatly 
inspired  him  that  he  thought  they  came  from  a 
mouth  other  than  that  of  this  evil  genius. 


THE    SACRIFICE    FOR    A    STANZA  191 

This  unexpected  and  altogether  mysterious 
appearance,  however,  did  not  at  all  disconcert 
Buddha,  as  he  was  still  under  the  spiritual  spell 
induced  by  those  two  noble  lines.  His  only 
thought  which  he  had  at  that  moment  was  that 
the  lines  were  not  quite  complete  and  that  some- 
thing was  needed  to  make  them  so.  Stating 
only  the  fact  of  universal  impermanence,  they 
did  not  show  the  way  to  escape  it  or  to  transcend 
it.  The  reason  why  we  mortals  are  groaning 
under  the  yoke  of  karmaic  causation  is  that  we 
are  yet  ignorant  of  its  true  significance,  that  we 
have  not  yet  severed  the  tie  of  birth  and  death. 

So  said  Buddha  to  the  Yaksha:  "Those  lines 
which  you  have  just  recited  are  beautiful  but 
incomplete.  Let  me  have  the  remaining  two, 
which  will  complete  the  gatha.  For  this  is  not 
only  for  my  own  benefit,  but  for  the  benefit  of 
all  mankind.  Pray  be  good  enough  to  disclose 
what  is  yet  kept  behind." 

Said  the  monster:  "I  will  gladly  comply  with 
your  request,  but  at  this  very  moment  I  suffer 
from  a  bodily  need  and  have  not  strength  enough 
to  recite  the  remaining  two  lines  for  you.  My 
empty  stomach  must  be  fed  and  I  live  on  human 
flesh.  Would  you  first  satisfy  my  appetite?  I 
should  then  be  able  to  let  you  have  what  you 
desire." 

Buddha  said:  "I  am  ready  at  any  moment 
to  sacrifice  myself,  O  Yaksha,  but  when  I  exist 
no  more,  who  in  this  world  will  transmit  these 


19  2  SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST    ABBOT 

lines  all  complete  to  posterity?  The  truth  will 
then  be  eternally  lost  to  mankind.  I,  therefore, 
beseech  you  to  recite  those  two  remaining  lines 
before  I  die,  and  I  will  engrave  the  whole  stanza 
on  this  rock  standing  near  by.  After  this  is 
done,  you  can  dispose  of  my  body  as  you  please. 
The  stanza  thus  left  on  the  stone  will  be  noticed 
some  day  by  a  passer-by  and  brought  out  to  the 
world  for  the  enlightenment  of  my  fellow-beings." 
The  Yaksha  said:  "As  you  are  so  earnest  and 
sincere,  I  grant  your  wish.  Listen  to  my  reci- 
tation : 

"Transcending  birth  and  death, 
How  blissful  is  the  Absolute !" 

When  the  Yaksha  finished,  Buddha  made  one 
of  his  fingers  bleed,  and  with  the  dripping  blood 
inscribed  the  whole  stanza  on  the  rock.  This 
being  done,  Buddha  threw  himself  over  the 
precipice  in  order  to  fulfill  his  promise.  But 
behold!  at  this  crisis  the  hideous  vampire  sud- 
denly changed  his  features,  he  became  Sakrendra, 
a  reigning  god  of  the  heavens  and  a  most  pow- 
erful guardian  angel  of  Buddhism.  Buddha, 
falling  into  the  abyss,  was  miraculously  received 
in  the  arms  of  this  god,  who  now  honored  and 
revered  him.  The  heavens  showered  flowers  and 
the  universe  resounded  with  divine  music. 


BUDDHIST  VIEW  OF  WAR1 


'"T~^HIS  triple  world2  is  my  own  possession. 
A  All  the  things  therein  are  my  own  chil- 
dren. Sentient  or  non-sentient,  animate  or  inani- 
mate, organic  or  inorganic,  the  ten  thousand 
things  in  this  world  are  no  more  than  the  reflec- 
tions of  my  own  self.  They  come  from  the  one 
source.  They  partake  of  the  one  body.  There- 
fore I  cannot  rest  quiet,  until  every  being,  even 
the  smallest  possible  fragment  of  existence,  is 
settled  down  in  its  proper  appointment.  I  do 
not  mind  what  long  eons  it  will  take  to  finish 
this  gigantic  work  of  salvation.  I  work  at  the 
end  of  eternity  when  all  beings  are  peacefully 
and  happily  nestled  in  an  infinite  loving  heart." 

This  is  the  position  taken  by  the  Buddha, 
and  we,  his  humble  followers,  are  but  to  walk 
in  his  wake. 

Why,  then,  do  we  fight  at  all? 

Because  we  do  not  find  this  world  as  it  ought 
to  be.  Because  there  are  here  so  many  perverted 

Reproduced  from  THE  OPEN  COURT,  May,  1904. 

2The  "triple  world"  (triloka)  is  a  common  Buddhist 
term  for  "universe."  The  three  worlds  are  "the  world  of 
desire"  (kdmaloka),  "the  world  of  bodily  form"  (rtipaloka), 
and  "the  immaterial  world"  (artipaloka)  . 

'93 


IQ4  SERMONS    OF    A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

creatures,  so  many  wayward  thoughts,  so  many 
ill-directed  hearts,  due  to  ignorant  subjectivity. 
For  this  reason  Buddhists  are  never  tired  of  com- 
bating all  productions  of  ignorance,  and  their 
fight  must  be  to  the  bitter  end.  They  will  show 
no  quarter.  They  will  mercilessly  destroy  the 
very  root  from  which  arises  the  misery  of  this  life. 
To  accomplish  this  end,  they  will  never  be  afraid 
of  sacrificing  their  lives,  nor  will  they  tremble 
before  an  eternal  cycle  of  transmigration.  Cor- 
poreal existences  come  and  go,  material  appear- 
ances wear  out  and  are  renewed.  Again  and 
again  they  take  up  the  battle  at  the  point  where 
it  was  left  off. 

But  all  the  Buddhas  and  Bodhisattvas  never 
show  any  ill-will  or  hatred  toward  enemies. 
Enemies — the  enemies  of  all  that  is  good — are 
indeed  wicked,  avaricious,  shameless,  hell-born, 
and,  above  all,  ignorant.  But  are  they  not, 
too,  my  own  children  for  all  their  sins?  They 
are  to  be  pitied  and  enlightened,  not  persecuted. 
Therefore,  what  is  shed  by  Buddhists  is  not 
blood, — which,  unfortunately,  has  stained  so 
many  pages  in  the  history  of  religion, — but  tears 
issuing  directly  from  the  fountain-head  of  loving- 
kindness. 

The  most  powerful  weapon  ever  used  by  Buddha 
in  the  subjugation  of  his  wayward  children  is 
the  practice  of  non-atman  (non-egotism).  He 
wielded  it  more  effectively  than  any  deadly, 
life-destroying  weapons,  When  he  was  under  the 


BUDDHIST   VIEW   OF   WAR  IQ5 

Bodhi-tree  absorbed  in  meditation  on  the  non- 
atmanness  of  things,  fiends  numbering  thousands 
tried  in  every  way  to  shake  him  from  his  tran- 
scendental serenity;  but  all  to  no  purpose.  On 
the  contrary,  the  arrows  turned  to  heavenly 
flowers,  the  roaring  clamor  to  a  paradisiacal 
music,  and  even  the  army  of  demons  to  a  host 
of  celestials.  And  do  you  wonder  at  it?  Not 
at  all!  For  what  on  earth  can  withstand  an 
absolutely  self -freed  heart  overflowing  with  loving- 
kindness  and  infinite  bliss? 

And  this  example  should  be  made  the  ideal 
of  every  faithful  Buddhist.  Whatever  calling  he 
may  have  chosen  in  this  life,  let  him  be  freed 
from  ego-centric  thoughts  and  feelings.  Even 
when  going  to  war  for  his  country's  sake,  let 
him  not  bear  any  hatred  towards  his  enemies. 
In  all  his  dealings  with  them  let  him  practise 
the  truth  of  non-atman.  He  may  have  to 
deprive  his  antagonist  of  the  corporeal  presence, 
but  let  him  not  think  there  are  atmans,  con- 
quering each  other.  From  a  Buddhist  point  of 
view,  the  significance  of  life  is  not  limited  to  the 
present  incarnation.  We  must  not  exaggerate 
the  significance  of  individuals,  for  they  are  not 
independent  and  unconditional  existences.  They 
acquire  their  importance  and  a  paramount  mean- 
ing, moral  and  religious,  as  soon  as  their  fate 
becomes  connected  with  the  all-pervading  love 
of  the  Buddha,  because  then  they  are  no  more 
particular  individuals  filled  with  egotistic  thoughts 


196  SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST    ABBOT 

and  impulses,  but  have  become  love  incarnate. 
They  are  so  many  representative  types  of  one 
universal  self -freed  love.  If  they  ever  have  to 
combat  one  another  for  the  sake  of  their  home 
and  country, — which  under  circumstances  may 
become  unavoidable  in  this  world  of  particu- 
larity,— let  them  forget  their  egotistic  passions, 
which  are  the  product  of  the  atman  conception — 
of  selfishness.  Let  them,  on  the  contrary,  be  filled 
with  the  lovingkindness  of  the  Buddha;  let  them 
elevate  themselves  above  the  horizon  of  the 
mine  and  thine.  The  hand  that  is  raised  to  strike 
and  the  eye  that  is  fixed  to  take  aim,  do  not 
belong  to  the  individual,  but  are  the  instruments 
utilized  by  a  principle  higher  than  transient 
existence.  Therefore,  when  fighting,  fight  with 
might  and  main,  fight  with  your  whole  heart, 
forget  your  own  self  in  the  fight,  and  be  free 
from  all  atman  thought. 

It  is  most  characteristic  of  our  religion,  as  we 
understand  it,  that  while  Buddha  emphasized 
the  paramount  significance  of  synthetic  love,  he 
never  lost  sight  of  the  indispensableness  of  analyt- 
ical intellect.  He  extended  his  sympathy  to  all 
creatures  as  his  own  children  and  made  no  dis- 
crimination in  his  boundless  compassion.  But 
at  the  same  time  he  was  not  ignorant  of  the  fact 
that  there  were  good  as  well  as  bad  people,  that 
there  were  innocent  hearts  as  well  as  guilty  ones. 
Not  that  some  were  more  favored  by  the  Buddha 
than  others,  but  they  were  enabled  to  acquire 


BUDDHIST   VIEW    OF   WAR  197 

more  of  the  love  of  the  Buddha.  One  rain  falls 
on  all  kinds  of  plants ;  but  they  do  not  assimilate 
the  water  in  the  same  fashion.  Buddha's  love 
is  universal,  but  our  hearts,  being  fashioned  of 
divergent  karmas,  receive  it  in  different  ways. 
He  knows  where  they  are  finally  led  to,  for  his 
love  is  unintermittently  working  out  their 
salvation,  though  they  themselves  be  utterly 
unconscious  of  it. 

Above  all  things,  there  is  the  truth,  and  there 
are  many  roads  leading  to  it.  It  may  seem  at 
times  that  they  collide  and  oppose  one  another. 
But  let  us  rest  confident  that  finally  every  ill  will 
come  to  some  good. 


AT   THE    BATTLE    OF    NAN-SHAN    HILL1 

ALL  that  I  can  say  is,  "It  beggars  descrip- 
tion!" Verily,  it  is  the  acme  of  brutality 
and  recklessness  conceived  in  this  world  of  indi- 
vidualization  (ndmarupa) .  Even  the  fight  between 
the  Asura  and  Sakrendra,  the  demons  and  the 
angels,  witnessed  by  our  Buddha,  seems  here  to 
sink  into  insignificance. 

As  far  as  my  unaided  eye  can  see,  nature 
around  me  is  calm.  The  Tai-lien  Bay  to  the 
left  and  the  Kin-chou  Bay  to  the  right,  both  as 
tranquil  as  mirrors,  and  above  us  and  over  the 
Nan-Shan  Hill,  where  directly  in  our  front  the 
Russian  fortifications  stand,  the  sky  expands  in 
majestic  serenity.  Nothing  suggests  the  awful 
carnage  which  there  is  enacted.  Guns  roar, 
bombs  burst,  but  we  do  not  see  whence  they 
come,  and  their  knell  only  offsets  the  solemnity 
of  these  peaceful  surroundings.  But  when  I  look 
through  a  powerful  field-glass,  I  behold  the  hill- 
sides strewn  with  dead  and  wounded,  and  soldiers 
rush  onward  over  these  wretches,  while  the 

Reproduced  from  THE  OPEN  COURT,  December,  1904. 
198 


AT   THE   BATTLE   OF    NAN-SHAN   HILL          199 

enemies  on  the  hill  are  madly  scrambling,  stum- 
bling, and  falling.  I  shudder  at  the  sight. 

*  *  * 

Still  more  appalling  is  a  visit  to  the  battle- 
field after  the  fight.  Yesterday,  when  I  viewed 
Nan-Shan  Hill  from  a  distance,  imagination  lent 
enchantment  to  the  spectacle,  and  at  times  the 
cannonade  even  impressed  me  with  grandeur. 
But  I  am  now  confronting  actualities, — actualities 
whose  terror  and  horror  can  never  be  forgotten. 
From  the  top  of  yonder  hill,  where,  under  the 
calm  summer  sky,  nature  smiled  in  beauty,  I 
could  form  no  true  conception  of  the  tragedy, 
which,  as  I  see  now,  took  place  here  in  unparal- 
leled fury  and  madness.  What  a  strange  paradox 
is  this  contrast, — a  most  horrible  catastrophe  of 
human  life  happening  in  the  most  delightful 
surroundings!  It  makes  me  meditate  again  on 
the  doctrine  of  our  teacher. 

*  *  * 
Buddhism    provides    us    with    two    entrances 

through  which  we  can  reach  the  citadel  of  perfect 
truth.  One  is  the  gate  of  love  (karund)  and  the 
other  the  gate  of  knowledge  (prajnd).  The 
former  leads  us  to  the  world  of  particulars  and 
the  latter  to  the  realm  of  the  absolute.  By 
knowledge  we  aspire  to  reach  the  summit  of 
spiritual  enlightenment;  by  love  we  strive  to 
rescue  our  fellow-creatures  from  misery  and 
crime.  View  the  vicissitudes  of  things  from  the 
unity  and  eternity  of  the  religious  standpoint, 


2OO  SERMONS    OF   A    BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

the  Dharmadhatu,  and  everything  is  one,  is  on 
the  same  plane,  and  I  learn  to  neglect  the  worldly 
distinction  made  between  friend  and  foe,  tragedy 
and  comedy,  war  and  peace,  samsara  and  nirvana, 
passion  (klega)  and  enlightenment  (bodhi).  A 
philosophical  calm  pervades  my  soul  and  I  feel 
the  contentment  of  Nirvana.  For  there  is 
nothing,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  that  does  not  reflect 
the  glory  of  Buddha.  Even  in  the  midst  of  this 
transcendent  universality,  however,  my  heart 
aches  with  a  pain,  undefinable  yet  insuppressible. 
Love  for  all  sentient  beings  asserts  itself,  and 
that  frigid  indifference  of  the  intellect  gives  way. 

And  why  was  it  necessary  that  the  many  horrors 
of  this  present  war  should  come  to  pass?  Why 
had  those  poor  soldiers  to  sacrifice  their  lives? 
In  every  one  of  them  a  warm  heart  has  been 
beating,  and  now  they  are  all  lying  on  the  ground 
in  piles,  stiff  and  stark  like  logs. 

O  Mother  Earth!  All  these  my  fellow-crea- 
tures, it  is  true,  are  made  of  the  same  stuff  of 
which  thou  art  made.  But  do  not  their  lives 
partake  of  something  not  of  the  earth  earthy, 
altogether  unlike  thyself,  and,  indeed,  more  than 
mere  gross  matter?  Are  theirs  not  precious 
human  souls  which  can  be  engaged  in  the  works 
of  peace  and  enlightenment?  Why  art  thou  so 
gravely  dumb,  when  thou  art  covered  with  things 
priceless  that  are  being  dissolved  into  their 
primitive  elements? 

In  this  world  of  particulars,  the  noblest  and 


AT  THE   BATTLE   OF   NAN-SHAN   HILL          2OI 

greatest  thing  one  can  achieve  is  to  combat  evil 
and  bring  it  into  complete  subjection.  The  moral 
principle  which  guided  the  Buddha  throughout 
his  twelve  years  of  preparation  and  in  his  forty- 
eight  years  of  religious  wanderings,  and  which 
pervades  his  whole  doctrine,  however  varied  it 
may  be  when  practically  applied,  is  nothing  else 
than  the  subjugation  of  evil.  To  destroy  the 
ninety-eight  major  and  eighty-four  thousand 
minor  evils,  that  are  constantly  tormenting 
human  souls  on  this  earth,  was  the  guiding  thought 
of  the  Buddha.  Therefore,  every  follower  of  the 
Buddha  builds  a  great  boat  of  love,  launches  it 
on  the  great  ocean  of  birth  and  death,  steers  it 
with  the  great  rudder  of  faith,  and  sails  forth 
with  a  steadfast  mind  through  the  whirling  tem- 
pest of  egotistic  desires  and  passions.  No  Bud- 
dhist will  ever  relax  his  energy,  until  every  one 
of  his  fellow-creatures  be  safely  carried  over  to 
the  other  shore  of  perfect  bliss. 

War  is  an  evil  and  a  great  one,  indeed.  But 
war  against  evils  must  be  unflinchingly  prose- 
cuted till  we  attain  the  final  aim.  In  the  present 
hostilities,  into  which  Japan  has  entered  with  great 
reluctance,  she  pursues  no  egotistic  purpose,  but 
seeks  the  subjugation  of  evils  hostile  to  civili- 
zation, peace,  and  enlightenment.  She  deliber- 
ated long  before  she  took  up  arms,  as  she  was 
well  aware  of  the  magnitude  and  gravity  of  the 
undertaking.  But  the  firm  conviction  of  the 
justice  of  her  cause  has  endowed  her  with  an 


202      SERMONS  OF  A  BUDDHIST  ABBOT 

indomitable  courage,  and  she  is  determined  to 
carry  the  struggle  to  the  bitter  end. 

Here  is  the  price  we  must  pay  for  our  ideals — 
a  price  paid  in  streams  of  blood  and  by  the  sacri- 
fice of  many  thousands  of  living  bodies.  How- 
ever determined  may  be  our  resolution  to  crush 
evils,  our  hearts  tremble  at  the  sight  of  this 
appalling  scene. 

Alas!  How  much  dearer  is  the  price  still 
going  to  be?  What  enormous  losses  are  we 
going  to  suffer  through  the  evil  thoughts  of  our 
enemy,  not  to  speak  of  the  many  injuries  which 
our  poor  enemy  himself  will  have  to  endure? 
All  these  miserable  soldiers,  individually  harm- 
less and  innocent  of  the  present  war,  are  doomed 
to  a  death  not  only  unnatural,  but  even  inhuman! 

Indeed,  were  it  not  for  the  doctrine  of  love 
taught  by  the  Buddha,  which  should  elevate 
every  individual  creature  to  the  realm  of  a  pure 
spirituality,  we  would,  in  the  face  of  the  terrible 
calamities  that  now  befall  us,  be  left  to  utter 
destruction  and  without  any  consolation  what- 
ever. Were  it  not  for  the  belief  that  the  bloom 
of  truly  spiritual  light  will,  out  of  these  muti- 
lated, disfigured,  and  decomposing  corpses,  return 
with  renewed  splendor,  we  would  not  be  able 
to  stand  these  heart-rending  tribulations  even 
for  a  moment.  Were  it  not  for  the  consolation 
that  these  sacrifices  are  not  brought  for  an 
egotistic  purpose,  but  are  an  inevitable  step 
toward  the  final  realization  of  enlightenment, 


AT   THE   BATTLE   OF   NAN-SHAN    HILL          203 

how  could  I,  poor  mortal,  bear  these  experiences 
of  a  hell  let  loose  on  earth? 

The  body  is  but  a  vessel  for  something  greater 
than  itself.  Individuality  is  but  a  husk  contain- 
ing something  more  permanent.  Let  us,  then, 
though  not  without  losing  tenderness  of  heart, 

bravely  confront  our  ordeal. 

*  *  * 

I  came  here  with  a  double  purpose.  I  wished 
to  have  my  faith  tested  by  going  through  the 
greatest  horrors  of  life,  but  I  also  wished  to 
inspire,  if  I  could,  our  valiant  soldiers  with  the 
ennobling  thoughts  of  the  Buddha,  so  as  to 
enable  them  to  die  on  the  battlefield  with  the 
confidence  that  the  task  in  which  they  are 
engaged  is  great  and  noble.  I  wished  to  convince 
them  of  the  truths  that  this  war  is  not  a  mere 
slaughter  of  their  fellow-beings,  but  that  they 
are  combating  an  evil,  and  that,  at  the  same 
time,  corporeal  annihilation  really  means  a 
rebirth  of  soul,  not  in  heaven,  indeed,  but  here 
among  ourselves.  I  believe  I  did  my  best  to 
impress  these  ideas  upon  the  soldiers'  hearts; 
and  my  own  sentiments  I  express  in  the  following 
stanza,  one  of  the  many  poems  composed  on  the 
field  of  battle : 

Here,  marching  on  Nan-Shan, 

Storming  its  topmost  crest, 
Have  thousands  of  brave  men 

With  dragon  valor  pressed. 
Before  the  foe  my  heart 

Is  calmed,  composure-blessed, 
While  belching  cannons  sing 

A  lullaby  of  rest. 


AN  ADDRESS  DELIVERED  AT  A  SERVICE 

HELD    IN    MEMORY    OF    THOSE    WHO 

DIED  IN  THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR 

(Ar  THE  GOLDEN  GATE  HALL,  NOVEMBER,  1905.) 

I  AM  requested  here  to-night  to  speak  con- 
cerning our  brethren  who  fell  in  the  greatest 
and  most  sanguinary  war  of  modern  times, — the 
war  that  only  recently  was  brought  to  a  conclu- 
sion. But  what  shall  I  say?  Shall  I  eulogize 
the  glory  of  their  death?  or  shall  I  depict  to 
you  the  unimaginable  horrors  of  war?  or  have 
I  to  praise  the  prowess  and  success  of  our  Jap- 
anese army  and  navy?  or  have  I  to  dwell  upon 
the  innumerable  sufferings  of  our  people  at 
home  which  have  been  brought  about  by  the 
war?  I  am  not,  however,  an  orator  in  any  sense 
of  the  word,  and  am  utterly  disqualified  for  the 
task  laid  down  before  me,  either  to  glorify  the 
dead  or  to  denounce  war.  All  that  I  can  do  is 
to  look  upon  the  matter  from  a  purely  religious 
viewpoint  and  to  express  my  own  ideas  concern- 
ing those  unfortunate  dead  who  fell  in  the  defense 
of  our  fatherland.  And,  if  I  can,  let  me  try  to 
make  their  departed  spirits  calmly  repose  where 
they  fell,  while  I  demonstrate  to  those  left  behind 

204 


A    MEMORIAL    ADDRESS 

the  fact  that  the  immortality  of  the  soul  consists 
in  the  realization  of  noble  deeds,  and  not  in  the 
continuation  of  personality  after  death,  if  such 
a  thing  be  at  all  possible 

*  *  * 

When  we  are  talking  in  the  abstract  we  are 
apt  to  see  only  the  bright  side  of  war — its  inevi- 
tableness,  its  sublimity,  its  awe-inspiring  scene, 
its  perfect  organization,  its  earnestness,  its  patri- 
otism, and  so  forth,  and  we  forget  at  what  price 
these  glorious  things  are  bought,  we  forget  that 
war  is  the  most  horrible  evil  of  human  life,  that 
killing  one  another  with  whatever  beautiful 
excuse  is  a  proof  of  moral  depravity,  that  our 
mission  here  under  the  sun  is  not  to  destroy  life, 
but  to  preserve  and  develop  it.  Are  we  not  here 
to  realize  the  ideals  of  universal  brotherhood 
and  eternal  peace?  Are  we  not  here  to  help  one 
another  and  to  promote  our  mutual  welfare?  Are 
we  not  here  to  make  a  grand  universal  home  in 
which  everybody  is  respected,  believed,  and 
loved?  Let  me  ask,  then:  Does  war  in  any  way 
subserve  this  end?  does  it  augment  our  happi- 
ness? does  it  make  us  respect  one  another?  does 
it  bring  more  life  into  the  world?  Let  those 
who  would  answer  affirmatively  these  questions 
go  to  one  of  those  bloody  battlefields  in  Man- 
churia and  tell  us  what  is  disclosed  before  their 
unprejudiced  eyes. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  hotly  contested  hills 
around  Port  Arthur.  Battles  have  been  fought 


206  SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST    ABBOT 

all  morning  and  all  afternoon,  positions  have 
been  alternately  taken  by  our  soldiers  and 
enemies.  Battalions  after  battalions  have  been 
rushed  forward  only  to  fall  under  the  veritable 
showers  of  death-dealing  missiles,  while  those 
fortunate  ones  who  have  escaped  the  hell  of  fire 
are  greeted  with  a  phalanx  of  cold  steel.  And 
what  do  we  see  before  us  now?  Hundreds  of 
hundreds  of  dead  and  wounded  are  scattered  all 
over  the  hill,  friends  and  foes  indiscriminately. 
Are  not 'some  of  them  yet  writhing  in  their  last 
agony?  Where  does  that  faint  groaning  come? 
Were  not  those  stark  corpses  the  most  lively, 
most  briskly  moving  bodies  a  few  hours  ago? 
Were  not  a  courageous  heart  and  a  noble  mind 
abiding  in  each  one  of  them?  The  moon  is  just 
rising,  and  her  pale  light  but  enhances  the  ghast- 
liness  of  the  sight.  The  perfect  stillness  of  hor- 
ror! And  I  speak  of  this  from  my  personal 
experience. 

Now  let  me  again  ask:  From  where  do  these 
soldiers  come?  They  must  have  parents — some 
of  whom  are  aged  and  perhaps  decrepit — sisters 
and  brothers,  and  some  of  them  must  be  even 
husbands  and  fathers  on  whom  tender  women 
and  helpless  children  are  depending.  Now  that 
their  mainstays  are  gone  and  their  beloved 
are  forever  departed,  grief  and  suffering  inde- 
scribable must  be  reigning  in  all  these  thousands 
of  homes.  Some  of  them,  reduced  to  abject 
poverty  and  utter  helplessness,  must  go  begging 


A   MEMORIAL   ADDRESS  207 

or  to  self-destruction  to  save  themselves  from 
shame.  What  wrong  did  they  commit  to  be 
thus  terribly  punished?  The  wrong,  if  it  be  so 
called,  was  that  they  had  able-bodied,  strong- 
minded  sons  or  husbands.  What  a  heart-rending 
ordeal  they  have  to  pass! 

This  most  saddening  fact  is  brought  home 
more  forcibly  when  we  are  personally  related 
to  the  unfortunate  dead. 

News  of  victory  is  welcome  and  we  feel  elated 
over  it.  But  think  of  the  price  we  have  paid  for 
it  with  thousands  of  precious  human  lives.  And 
especially  when  we  find  some  of  our  personal 
friends  and  acquaintances  mentioned  among  the 
dead  or  seriously  wounded,  how  depressingly  the 
news  weighs  upon  us!  I  often  spend  many  hours 
at  a  time  brooding  over  the  sad  event,  my  thoughts 
being  deeply  buried  in  the  unfathomable  prob- 
lems of  philosophy  and  religion,  which  have 
baffled  many  a  wise  man  ever  since  the  dawn  of 
intellect.  Though  I  have  formed  in  my  humble 
way  my  own  welt-  and  lebensanschauung  with 
which  I  interpret  the  affairs  of  the  world  and 
the  phenomena  of  soul-life,  I  cannot  help  being 
struck  with  the  calamities  which  follow  in  the 
wake  of  war.  I  am  not  necessarily  absorbed  in 
pessimism,  but  I  feel  an  unspeakable  feeling  at 
the  bottom  of  my  heart  and  with  wonder  and 
awe  think  of  a  power  by  whose  hand  the  course 
of  this  life  and  the  destiny  of  the  universe  are 
directed. 


208  SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

Why  is  human  life  so  cheap?  Why  can  it  not 
be  made  to  resist  flying  lead?  Why  is  it  so  frail 
as  to  succumb  to  the  thrust  of  cold  steel?  Why 
was  it  not  made  invulnerable,  so  that  water  could 
not  drown  and  fire  could  not  consume?  Man, 
how  conceited  thou  art  when  thy  pulse  beats 
and  thy  blood  is  warm!  How  haughty,  god- 
like, immortal  thou  art  when  thou  sittest  alone 
and  uninterruptedly  pursuest  thy  egotistic 
schemes  and  intrigues!  But,  alas!  thy  dreams 
depart  and  thou  must  face  cold,  brutal  realities. 
What  a  pitiful  sight  thou  presentest  now!  Thou 
runnest  against  a  mass  of  granite,  cement,  and 
steel,  or  against  the  exploding  nitroglycerin, 
which  is  thine  own  handiwork,  and  thou  art 
reduced  to  atoms,  thou  art  blown  to  nothingness, 
whence  thou  perhaps  didst  come.  How  fragile 
thou  art!  Is  this  not  the  thought  that  agitates 
those  who  reflect  upon  the  horrors  of  war  and 
the  destiny  of  mankind? 

But  are  we  not  made  for  some  other  and  better 
purposes  than  being  merely  material,  physical, 
sensual,  earthly,  corporeal?  Has  not  human 
existence  more  significance  than  a  mere  sentient 
organism  whose  life  is  as  delicate  as  a  drop  of 
dew?  Are  we  not  capable  of  being  more  than 
what  we  appear  to  the  senses?  Are  we  not  also 
living  in  a  realm  which  transcends  the  world  of 
sense  and  perception?  To  these  questions  I 
answer  most  definitely,  and  say  "yes."  How- 
ever weak  and  helpless  and  flickering  like  a 


A    MEMORIAL    ADDRESS  2OQ 

solitary  lamplight  before  the  wind,  we  are  most 
assuredly  more  than  a  corporeal  existence.  Our 
limbs  may  be  torn  to  pieces,  our  brains  be 
smashed  to  nothing,  our  bones  be  ground  to 
powder;  but  our  deeds,  our  thoughts,  our  feel- 
ings will  survive.  It  is  in  the  realm  of  sense  and 
perception  that  we  are  born  and  die.  In  the 
realm  where  our  true  being  resides  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  birth  and  death.  In  the  spiritual 
kingdom  ours  is  an  eternal  growth,  a  perpetual 
unfolding,  a  never-ending  development.  The 
flesh  will  decay  and  return  to  dust,  but  the  spirit 
which  consists  of  our  noble  deeds  and  thoughts 
forever  rejuvenates  itself.  It  is  like  the  snake's 
shedding  its  skin:  the  bodily  existence  is  the 
skin,  which  is  cast  off  whenever  the  spirit  so 
desires.  It  is  immaterial  how  the  body  fares, 
for  the  spirit  is  the  master  and  its  commands 
have  to  be  obeyed  at  all  hazards.  The  spirit 
decides  when  and  how  its  outer  integument 
shall  be  renewed.  To  be  more  exact  and 
literal,  the  spirit  which  is  immortal  has  limited 
itself  to  effect  its  own  differentiation  and  devel- 
opment under  the  bodily  condition.  The  body 
is  therefore  needed  to  complete  the  mission  of 
the  spirit,  but  the  body  is  so  created  as  to  be 
subservient  to  the  spirit  and  to  be  willing  to 
carry  out  what  the  latter  wills. 

In  ancient  Oriental  mythology  we  have  a 
divine  phenix,  the  only  one  of  its  kind  and  of 
remarkable  beauty,  that  living  five  or  six  hun- 


210  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

dred  years  in  the  Arabian  desert  built  a  funeral 
pile  of  spices  and  aromatic  gums,  ignited  it  with 
the  fanning  of  its  wings,  sang  a  melodious  dirge, 
and  burned  itself  in  the  all-purifying  fire,  only  to 
come  out  again  in  the  freshness  of  youth  and  to 
continue  its  former  life.  Is  it  not  a  wonderful 
bird,  this  divine  phenix  of  eternal  life?  But 
more  wonderful  indeed  is  our  spiritual  life. 

I  believe  all  Japanese  are  familiar  with  the 
story  of  Kusunoki  Masashige,  who  exclaimed  in 
his  last  moment  that  he  would  be  reborn  seven 
times  and  protect  his  royal  family  against  the 
enemy.  You  also  know  well  the  anecdote  of  the 
late  Commander  Hirose,  who  expressed  the  same 
sentiment  in  one  of  his  last  poems.  But  in  point 
of  fact  these  heroes  are  not  only  seven  times 
reborn,  but  infinitely,  so  long  as  this  universe 
endureth  and  humanity  survives.  Do  not  think 
for  a  moment  that  this  is  merely  theoretical  and 
has  no  concrete  significance.  Far  from  it.  We 
who  are  breathing  to-day  the  spirit  of  the  illus- 
trious general  and  the  valiant  sailor  are  no 
more  nor  less  than  their  reincarnations.  Those 
who  come  after  us  and  become  possessed  of  the 
same  sentiment  are  their  and  our  spiritual  descend- 
ants. Rebirth  does  not  mean  the  reawakening  of 
the  dead.  Reincarnation  does  not  mean  the 
resuscitation  of  a  dried-up  mummy.  The  immor- 
tality of  the  soul  does  not  mean  the  continuation 
of  the  individual  soul  as  conceived  by  most 
religionists.  The  spirit  is  not  a  thing  material 


A    MEMORIAL   ADDRESS  211 

and  sensual,  however  ethereally  or  astrally  you 
may  conceive  it.  It  is  a  transcendental  exist- 
ence, which  knows  no  limiting  conditions  such  as 
space,  time,  or  causation.  Where  you  feel  a 
noble  feeling,  where  you  think  a  beautiful 
thought,  where  you  do  a  self-sacrificing  deed, 
there  is  the  spirit  making  itself  felt  in  your  con- 
sciousness. 

There  is  but  one  great  spirit  and  we  individuals 
are  its  temporal  manifestations.  We  are  eternal 
when  we  do  the  will  of  the  great  spirit;  we  are 
doomed  when  we  protest  against  it  in  our  egotism 
and  ignorance.  We  obey,  and  we  live.  We 
defy,  and  we  are  thrown  into  the  fire  that  quench- 
eth  not.  Our  bodily  existences  are  like  the 
sheaths  of  the  bamboo  sprout.  For  the  growth 
of  the  plant  it  is  necessary  to  cast  one  sheath 
after  another.  It  is  not  that  the  body-sheath  is 
negligible,  but  that  the  spirit-plant  is  more  essen- 
tial and  its  wholesome  growth  of  paramount 
importance.  Let  us,  therefore,  not  absolutely  cling 
to  the  bodily  existence,  but,  when  necessary, 
sacrifice  it  for  a  better  thing.  For  this  is  the 
way  in  which  the  spirituality  of  our  being  asserts 
itself. 

This  being  the  case,  war  is  not  necessarily 
horrible,  provided  that  it  is  fought  for  a  just 
and  honorable  cause,  that  it  is  fought  for  the 
maintenance  and  realization  of  noble  ideals,  that 
it  is  fought  for  the  upholding  of  humanity  and 
civilization.  Many  material  human  bodies  may 


212  SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST    ABBOT 

be  destroyed,  many  humane  hearts  be  broken, 
but  from  a  broader  point  of  view  these  sacrifices 
are  so  many  phenixes  consumed  in  the  sacred 
fire  of  spirituality,  which  will  arise  from  the 
smouldering  ashes  reanimated,  ennobled,  and 
glorified.  The  spirit  which  dwelt  in  them  and 
brought  them  to  the  altar  now  assumes  another 
material  expression  in  the  form  of  coming  genera- 
tions. Those  fallen  in  the  field  are  returning  to 
dust  in  order  to  nourish  vegetation,  or,  as  the 
Japanese  would  express  it,  to  fill  the  hungry 
stomach  of  the  wild  dog.'  But  this  is  true  only 
of  their  particular  bodily  forms.  As  to  the 
spirit,  it  has  not  gone  up  to  a  mythical  region 
which  some  religious  people  call  heaven.  It  has 
not  vanished  into  the  air  in  the  fashion  of  a 
ghost.  Nor  is  it  sitting  by  the  so-called  Heav- 
enly Father  encircled  by  a  host  of  angels.  We 
Buddhists  are  not  believers  in  fiction,  supersti- 
tion, or  mythology.  We  are  followers  of  truth 
and  fact.  And  what  we  actually  see  around  us 
is  that  the  departed  spirits  are  abiding  right 
among  ourselves,  for  we  have  the  most  convincing 
testimony  of  the  fact  in  our  inmost  consciousness 
which  deceives  not.  They  descend  upon  us,  they 
dwell  within  us;  for  are  we  not  being  moved  by 
their  courage,  earnestness,  self-sacrifice,  and  love 
of  country?  Do  we  not  feel  supernaturally 
inspired  and  strengthened  in  our  resolution  to 
follow  them  and  to  complete  the  work  they  have 
so  auspiciously  started?  Personally  and  indi- 


A   MEMORIAL   ADDRESS  213 

vidually,  we  may  grieve  over  their  being  no  more 
among  us  in  their  material  garb,  but  super- 
personally  our  life  is  enriched  and  illuminated 
by  their  death. 

We  understand,  therefore,  by  the  immortality 
of  the  soul  the  perpetuation  of  spiritual  life,  not 
individually  but  supra-individually.  The  life 
runs  in  and  through  individuals,  but  it  is  more 
than  the  totality  of  them.  It  does  not  die  with 
their  annihilation,  it  survives  them,  and  wears 
another  garment  of  bodily  existence,  making 
itself  ever  younger,  stronger,  and  nobler.  In 
this  sense,  Japanese  belief  in  the  ancestral  shades 
is  justifiable.  They  are  not  really  vanished  in 
the  haze  of  bygone  ages;  they  are  living  in  the 
freshness  of  youth  in  our  midst,  and  what  we 
worship  is  not  their  ghostly  presence  but  their 
living  spirit.  Those  who  fell  in  the  late  war  are 
not  really  fallen ;  they  are  still  alive  in  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  their  friends  and  worshipers. 
From  the  world  of  sense  they  are  forever 
departed,  but  they  have  found  their  enduring 
home  in  the  supra-individual  realm.  Their  bones 
are  crumbling  in  the  dust,  but  their  spirit  is 
enkindled  in  our  hearts.  This,  one  of  the  plainest 
facts  in  the  world,  will  be  doubted  only  by  those 
near-sighted,  grossly  material  egoists  who  refuse 
to  see  the  significance  of  human  life. 

I  am  by  no  means  trying  to  cover  the  horrors 
and  evils  of  war,  for  war  is  certainly  hellish. 
Let  us  avoid  it  as  much  as  possible.  Let  us 


214  SERMONS   OF   A   BUDDHIST   ABBOT 

settle  all  our  international  difficulties  in  a  more 
civilized  manner.  But  if  it  is  unavoidable,  let 
us  go  into  it  with  heart  and  soul,  with  the  firm 
conviction  that  our  spiritual  descendants  will 
carry  out  and  accomplish  what  we  have  failed 
personally  to  achieve.  Let,  therefore,  the  dead 
quietly  repose  in  their  last  sleep.  Nobody  will 
dare  stir  their  glorious  ashes.  As  for  us  who 
are  left  behind,  no  superfluous  words  are  in 
place,  only  we  must  not  disgrace  the  honor  and 
spirit  of  the  dead  who  have  solemnly  bequeathed 
to  us  their  work  to  perfect.  Mere  lamentation 
not  only  bears  no  fruit,  it  is  a  product  of  egoism, 
and  has  to  be  shunned  by  every  enlightened 
mind  and  heart. 


INDEX. 


[The  Roman  numerals  in  parentheses  refer  to  the  chapters  in  The 
Sutra  of  Forty-two  Chapters.} 


Acvaghosha,  34. 

Agnostics,  39. 

Akanishta,  5  fn.   (I). 

Alakshitam,  33,  35. 

"All    component    things   are    tran- 
sient,"  190. 

All-knowledge,    12    (XV). 

Amitabha,  32. 

Amitdbha,  by  Dr.  Carus,  25  fn. 

Anagamin,   5   (I),  9   (XI). 

Anatman,  37   (See  also  "Non- 
ego.") 

Anavatapta  Lake,  20   (XLII). 

Ancestral  shades,  213. 

"Anicca  vata  sankhara,"   in. 

Antinomianism,   130. 

Arhat,   5  (I),  9  (XI),    14  (XXIII). 

Arhatship,   15    (XXVIII). 

Asceticism,  not  upheld,  94. 

Asura,    198. 

"At  the  moment  like  this,"  177. 

Atman   (ego-soul),  37,   53. 

Attachment,   6    (III). 

Avalokiteshvara,     190.      (See    also 
"Kwannon.") 

Barrows,  Dr.  John  H.,  vi,   121. 

Being,  Nature  of,  11  (XII). 

Bhagavadgita,   153. 

Bhikshu,  4. 

Bhutakoti,  33. 

Bhutatathata,  33,  34. 

Blind  men  and  the  elephant,   91. 

Blessing,  8   (X),  9  (X). 

Bliss  of  the  Way,  9  (X). 


Bodhi,  the,  36,  67;  and  the  body, 
94- 

Bodhidharma,  10  fn.;  and  Hui 
Ko,  42. 

Bodhisattva,  46. 

"Body  is  the  holy  Badhi  tree,"  90. 

Brahmadatta,    182. 

Bricks,  20,   (XLII). 

Buddha,  and  the  flower,  141 ;  as  a 
prince,  189. 

Buddhas,  9  (XI). 

Buddha-body,  The,  limited  itself, 
66;  compared  to  mirror,  66; 
compared  to  moon,  67;  (see  also 
"Dharmakaya"). 

Buddha-intelligence,    128. 

Buddhakaya,  65. 

Buddhism,  and  atheism,  25,  28; 
rational,  28;  and  pantheism,  25, 
26,  28  ,  84;  and  Gospel  of  John, 
48;  Religion  of  enlightenment, 
51,  86;  and  quietism,  75;  Aim 
of,  85;  and  supernaturalism, 
ii i ;  its  rationality,  112;  ideal- 
istic, 118;  and  asceticism,  127; 
and  hedonism,  127;  and  Ori- 
ental culture,  170  et  seq. 

Buddhist  ethics,  simple,  70. 

Buddhist    faith,    explained    in    a 
gatha,  62;  threefold,  86. 

Buddhist  Sutra,   10,  (XII). 

Bushido,   176. 

Calm,  3,  18  (XXXIV).  (See  also 
"Tranquility.") 


2l6 


SERMONS    OF   A    BUDDHIST   ABBOT. 


C.amatha,   1 50. 

ganti,   143. 

Chandradipa-samadhi  Sutra,    1 54. 

Charity,    io(XII). 

Child,   14  (XXII). 

Christ,  123,  124;  and  Buddha,  124, 

125. 

Christian  critic,   121. 
Christian  scholars,   25. 
Christians  in   their  dying  moments, 

177. 

gila   (morality),    146. 
Clear-sighted,   186. 
Cleave,    To,    13    (XXII).      (See 

also  "Hanker.") 
"Commit  no  wrong,"  69. 
Compulsion,  6  (II). 
Confucian  Analects,  3  fn. 
Consciousness  and  the  soul,   40. 
Contemplation,    72,    143.    (  See  also 

"Dhyana.") 

Corinthians,  I,    (quoted),    18  fn. 
gramana,   5   (I),   6   (II),   6   (III), 
gunyata,   (emptiness),  33,  35,   143. 

Dark  room,  12,  (XVII). 

Darkness,  9  (X),   12   (XVII). 

Deed,    not-doing,    12    (XVIII). 

Deer  Park,  4,   103. 

Devadatta,    182. 

Dharma,  The,  6   (II). 

Dharmachakra,    103. 

Dharmadhatu,   200. 

Dharmakaya,  32  et  seq.,  37,  123, 
138;  Literal  meaning  of,  47 ;  and 
Godhead,  47;  Affirmative  phase 
of  Buddhism,  47;  as  love  and 
intelligence,  51;  Body  of  In- 
telligence, 52.  (See  also  "Bud- 
dha-body.") 

Dharmapada,  (quoted),  69,  75, 
131- 

Dhyana,  20  (XLII),  68,  146;  and 
Orientl  culturue,  148;  its  mean- 
ing, 149;  and  Christian  mystic, 
149;  its  benefits,  151;  its  phys- 
iological aspect,  152;  in  Chan- 
dradipa-samadhi  Sutra,  154;  and 
trance,  155;  and  concentration, 
156;  and  hallucination,  157;  in 
£uramgama  Sutra,  158. 


Difference  (nanatva),  64;  Gate  of, 
27.  (See  also  "Diversity.") 

Difficult    things,  Twenty,  10  (XII). 

Dirt,   12  (XV),   18  (XXXV). 

Discipline,  6  (II),  9  (XI),  17 
(XXXIV),  18  (XXXIV),  19 
(XXXVI) ;  beyond  discipline, 
12  (XVIII). 

Diversity,    Principle  of,   65. 

Divine  will,   128. 

Doctrine  of  Buddhas,  6  (II),  19 
(XXXIX) ;  transcendental,  20 
(XLII). 

Dragon(s),  21  (XLII);  and  schol- 
ars, 140. 

Dream,    20    (XLII). 

Dross,   18   (XXXV). 

Dualism,    and   ignorance,    51. 

Dust,   8    (VIII),    ii    (XIII),   20 
(XLII). 

Echo,   8   (VII). 

Effect,   8   (VII). 

Ego,  13  (XX);  and  the  soul,  104 
(See  also  "Soul.") 

Ego-conception  and  ethics,  43  et 
seq. 

Egoism,  107;  and  enlightenment, 
57;  and  ignorance,  178. 

Eightfold  Path,  71,  72. 

Elements,  Five,   13   (XX). 

Elephant,   and  the  blind  men,   91. 

Emptiness,  143.  (See  also  "C.un- 
yatd.") 

Enlightened,   The,    18   (XXXVI). 

Enlightenment,  4,  6  (II),  9  (XI), 
12  (XVII),  15  (XXVII),  17 
(XXXIII),  19  (XXXVII),  72: 
spiritual,  13  (XIX) ;  is  Nirvana, 
51;  and  love,  82;  and  ignorance, 
126  et  seq.;  and  intellect,  133; 
and  trance,  138;  is  the  normal 
state  of  mind,  139. 

"Eternal  femininity,"   169. 

Ethical  life,   130. 

Evil,  7  (IV),  8  (VII);  Path  of, 
15  (XXVIII);  Subjugation  of, 

2OI. 

Evil  creations,   18  (XXXVI). 
Evil-doer(s),  7   (VI),  8   (VIII). 
Evil    influence(s),     15     (XXVII), 


INDEX. 


217 


17  (XXXIII);  Evil  passions,  16 
(XXXI),  18  (XXXV);  Evil 
thoughts,  ii  (XV),  16  (XXIX). 

Existence,  The  purpose  of,    108. 

Experience,    Inward,    28. 

Eye  of  the  Dharma,  The,  141. 

Fairy,   14  (XXVI). 

Faith,   18   (XXXVI),  137. 

Fame,   13   (XXI). 

Families,    14  (XXIII). 

Fatalism,    175. 

Faust,  quoted,  34. 

Fear,   16   (XXXII). 

Filial  piety,  179. 

Flesh,    126  et  seq. 

Flower,  20    (XLII). 

Fortune,    Rare,    18   (XXXVI). 

Fourfold   Truth,    4. 

Freedom,     99,     116.       (See    also 

"Non-attachment.") 
Fundamental     beliefs,     The     three, 

of  Buddhism,  82. 

Gautama,  Siddhartha,  101;  Bud- 
dha, 123. 

God,  of  Buddhism,  25;  immanent, 
28,  30;  as  the  Principle  of  same- 
ness, 28;  and  individual  exist- 
ences, 29  et  seq. ;  and  the  world, 
29;  in  Gospel  of  John,  and  Bud- 
dhism, 48;  and  non-ego,  50;  as 
"it,"  83  fn. ;  and  laws  of  nature, 
99;  talking  about,  136;  and  the 
intellect,  142;  and  theologians, 
144;  as  "sound,"  163. 

Goethe,   34. 

Good,  7  (IV),  ii   (XIV). 

Good  man,  9   (XI). 

Good  Law,  Wheel  of  the,  101  et 
seq.  (See  also  "Dharmacha- 
kra.") 

Goodness,  Ten  deeds  of,  71. 

Great,    n    (XIV). 

Guitar,    17    (XXXIV). 

Hak  Rak-ten,  87.      (See  also  "Pai 

Lu-Tien.") 
Hanker(ing),    6    (II),     10    (XII), 

ii    (XIII),    13    (XXI). 
Hay,   16   (XXX). 


Heart,  Simplicity  of,  8  (IX);  Pu- 
rity of,  10  fn.,  49;  Pure  in,  ii 
(XIII);  in  accord  with  the 
Way,  ii  (XIV). 

Heart    of    Intelligence,      18 
(XXXVI). 

Heavenly  Father,  212. 

Hedonists,    107. 

"Here,  marching  on  Nan-Shan," 
203. 

Heterodox,  21   (XLII). 

Hinayana  Buddhism,   79  et  seq. 

Hirose,    174,   210. 

History,    and   soul-conception,    59. 

Holila,    20    (XLII). 

"Holy  tree  exists  as  Bodhi  known, 
No,"  90. 

Honey,   14  (XXII),   19  (XXXIX). 

Hridaya   (heart),   36. 

Hui  Ko,  second  patriarch  of  the 
Zen  sect,  41  et  seq. 

Human  life,   not  material,   208. 

Hut   and   ego,    (in   a   Japanese 
poem),   13   fn. 

Idealism,  in  Buddhism,    75. 

Ideality,   Realm  of,    162. 

Ignorance,  12  (XVII),  14 
(XXIII),  51,  73,  104;  and  dual- 
ism, 51;  and  enlightenment,  126. 

Illuminating,    ii    (XV),    12    (XV). 

Imagination,      16     (XXXI),     20 
(XLII). 

Immortality,  173,  210;  Buddhist 
conception  of,  52,  53  et  seq.; 
and  egoism,  57;  of  work,  58. 

Impermanence,    13,    (XIX),    115. 

Incense  stick,    13,    (XXI). 

Inquisition,    1 13. 

Insult,   7    (VI). 

Intelligence,  74,  (see  also  "Praj- 
na");  Heart  of,  18  (XXXVI). 

Intuition,    Philosophical,    100. 

John,  Gospel  of,  and  Buddhism, 
45;  quoted,  50. 

Karma,     6     (II);       immortal,     58; 

Principle  of,  64    et  seq.    (Sec  also 

"work.") 
Kashyapa,    141. 


SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST    ABBOT. 


Kashyapabuddha,  16  (XXXI),  17 
(XXXIV). 

Kings  and  lords,  20   (XLII). 

Knowledge,  13  (XIX),  9  (XI); 
and  practice,  10  (XII) ;  Su- 
preme (sambodhi),  27. 

Kwannon,  160;  and  Japanese  cul- 
ture, 168. 

Kwan-ze-on,    161. 

Lao-tze,    153. 

Laotzeans,  4  fn. 

Learning,  8   (IX),    10    (XII). 

Leather  bag,   15   (XXVI). 

Life,  Length  of  a  man's,  19 
(XXXVIII);  characterized,  105; 
a  pendulum,  106;  Buddhist  con- 
ception of,  107;  eternal,  170. 

Light,    12   (XVID. 

Log,    15   (XXVII). 

Lord  of  Heavens,    14   (XXVI). 

Lotus  flower,    16    (XXIX). 

Love,  52,  163;  and  enlightenment, 
82;  The  power  of  religion,  114; 
and  life,  164;  exclusive,  165; 
and  samadhi,  166;  and  knowl- 
edge, 199;  and  spirituality,  202. 

Lovingkindness,   8    (VII). 

Luke,  Gospel  of,  (referred  to),  6 
fn.  (III). 

Lun  Yii,  see  "Confucian  Ana- 
lects." 

Lust,   14  (XXIV). 

Mahaparinirvana  Sutra,    189   fn. 
Mahayana  Buddhism,   79  et  seq. 
Masashige,    171,    210. 
Matthew,  Gospel  of   (referred  to), 

10  fn.,   ii  fn.,   15  fn.,   16  fn. 
Meditation,    4.      (See    also    "Dhy- 

ana.") 

Meekness,    n    (XV). 
Mercy,     Goddess    of,     160.       (See 

also  "Kwannon.") 
Metal,    18    (XXXV);    Precious,   20 

(XLII). 

Middle  kingdom,    18    (XXXVI). 
Middle  Way,  90  et  seq. 
Mind,    5,    6    (II),    12    (XVI),    16 

(XXXI),     17     (XXXIV);      and 

Body,    97. 


Ming,  Emperor,  of  Han  dynasty, 
3  fn. 

Mirage,    13    (XX). 

Mire,  20    (XLI). 

Mirror,  n  (XIII);  and  Buddha- 
body,  66. 

Misdemeanor,    7    (V). 

Monju,  a  Bodhisattva,   165. 

Moon,  compared  to  the  Buddha- 
body,  67. 

Moral   discipline,    100. 

Morality,   Precepts  of,   5    (I). 

Motherliness,    Eternal,    36. 

Mud,    16    (XXIX). 

Mutilation,    16    (XXXI). 

Mysticism,    130. 

Nagrava   (non-defilement),  35. 

Nanatva,  (difference),  26;  (See 
also  "Difference"  and  "Divers- 
ity.") 

Nan-Shan,   198. 

Nihilism,    98. 

Nirvana,   20    (XLII),   33,   35,    121, 

122,       129,       131,       141,       150,       156, 

200;  and  purity  of  heart,  49; 
and  Enlightenment,  51;  and  ego- 
ism, 57;  and  humanity,  109. 

Non-attachment,  115.  (See  also 
"freedom.") 

Non-ego,  37;  and  immortality,  39 
et  seq. ;  and  love  of  enemies, 
46;  and  God-conception,  50;  and 
lovingkindness,  52;  and  immor- 
tality, 57;  and  war,  194. 

Nothingness  of  existence,  99. 

Ocean,   7    (V),    15   (XXVII). 
"Old  man,"   126. 
Onesidedness,  9    (XI). 
Orientalism    and    Occidentalism, 

153- 

Orthodox,  21    (XLII). 
Ota,    Dokwan,    177. 
Ox,  19  (XL),  20  (XLI). 

Pai  Lu-tien,   69.     (See  also  "Hak 

Rak-ten.") 
Pan  kai  en,  26. 
Panentheism,   26. 
Paradise,    63. 


INDEX. 


219 


Paramartha,   36. 

Paramitas  (virtues  of  perfection), 
61,  71,  72. 

Passion,  14  (XXIII);  The  most 
powerful,  14  (XXIV). 

Passions,  The,  3,  6  (III),  10 
(XII),  ii  (XIII),  12  (XVI), 
14  (XXV),  15  (XXVII),  16 
(XXXI,  XXXII),  20  (XLI); 
Severance  of  the,  6  (I). 

Patriotism,    179. 

Pauline   Epistle,   quoted,    168. 

Perry,  Commodore,   180. 

Phenix,    209. 

Phenomenal,  world,  114;  and  the 
supra-phenomenal,  117. 

Plants,   21    (XLII). 

Poor,   The   10    (XII). 

Possessions,  14  (XXIII);  Worldly 
6  (III),  13  (XXII). 

Prajna,  137,  145  et  seq.,  199;  like 
the  sword,  142;  as- mother,  142. 

Pratyekabuddha,   9    (XI), 

Precepts,  five,  9  (XI);  My,  19 
(XXXVII). 

Prejudice,   6    (II). 

Prison,    14    (XXIII). 

Pundarika  Sutra,    167. 

Pure,  12  (XV),  1 8  (XXXIV). 
(See  also  "Heart"  and  "Pu- 
rity.") 

Pure-heartedness,   78. 

Pure  Land,    117. 

Purity  of  heart,  73,  74. 

Rag,  20   (XLII). 

"Rain  and  hail,"  (Japanese  poem), 
28. 

Reality,  21    (XLII). 

Reason,  inner  life  of  things,  3 1 ; 
and  love  of  enemies,  45;  Uni- 
versal, 73;  of  the  universe,  85; 
realization  of,  88;  ultimate,  98, 
144;  spirituaul,  99;  real,  163. 

Red   Slayer,    (Emerson),   27. 

Religion,  not  to  analyze,  65;  as  an 
institution,  76;  and  mysticism, 
130;  and  philosophy,  132. 

Religious  life,    130. 

"Religious  sense,"   135. 

Retribution,  7   (V). 


Rich,  The,   10  (XII). 
Righteousness,    14   (XXIV), 
Rupaloka,  5  fn.   (I). 

Sacred  Books  of  the  East,  5  fn. 
(I). 

Saintship,  four  fruits  of,  5   (I). 

Sakrendra,    192,    196. 

Salvation,  20   (XLII). 

Samadhi,   143,   150. 

Samapatti,    150. 

Samata,   see   "sameness." 

Sameness  (samata),  63,  65;  doc- 
trine of,  21  (XLII);  Gate  of, 
27. 

Satya  (truth),  36. 

Schleiermacher,   176. 

Self-assertion,  126,  127;  and  lov- 
ingkindness,  127. 

Self-will,  126;   and  divine  will,  129. 

Selfish  desires,  10  (XII),  13 
(XXII);  Selfish  passions,  13 
(XXII);  Selfish  pride,  10 
(XII). 

Sensualism,  15  (XXVIII),  16 
(XXX  and  XXXI),  107. 

Seshi,    a  Bodhisattva,    165. 

Shadow,   8    (VII). 

Shakyamuni,    182. 

Sightless,    187. 

Silks,  20  (XLII). 

Simple-hearted,  10  (XII).  (See 
also  "Heart.") 

Skridagamin,    5    (I),   9    (XI). 

Soul,  Immortality  of  the,  39;  as 
popularly  conceived,  39  et  seq.; 
and  consciousness,  40 ;  compared 
to  house,  42,  55;  as  the  "old 
man,"  44;  as  Atman,  53;  mate- 
rially conceived,  54;  compared 
to  water,  55,  56;  and  ego,  104. 

Soul-conception,    and   history,    59. 

Speech,  inexpressible,  12    (XVIII). 

Spirit,  and  body,  209;  One  Great, 
211. 

Spiritual    Enlightenment,    132. 

Spirituality,    118. 

Spittle,   8    (VIII). 

Srotaapanna,     6     (I),     9     (XI); 
-fruit,  15   (XXVI). 

Stream,    15   (XXVII). 


220 


SERMONS    OF    A    BUDDHIST    ABBOT. 


Strenuosity,  72. 

Suchness,  33. 

Sumeru  mountain,   20   (XLII). 

Supra-phenomenal,  The,    1 16. 

Sympathy,   74. 

Tara,  as  Kwannon,   160. 

Tathagata,  32. 

Tathata  (or  Tathatva),  33,  34,  35. 

Thought,  unthinkable,   12   (XVII). 

"Thy  will,"    58,    128. 

Tiger,   14  (XXIII). 

Timber,   15    (XXVII). 

Tolstoy,  Count  Leo,  ii. 

Torch,    9    (X),    12    (XVII);    -car- 
rier,  14   (XXV). 

Tranquillity,  143.  (See  also 
"Calm"  and  "Dhyana.") 

Transmigration,    16    (XXXI). 

Treasure    created    by    imagination, 
20   (XLII). 

Triple  world,  193. 

Truth,  ii  (XIV);  seen,  12 
(XVII);  thirst  for  the,  14 
(XXIV) ;  Fourfold  Noble, 
no;  one  universal,  113. 

Universe,    spiritual   laboratory,    60. 
Unknowable,  The,    134. 

Vairochana     (Buddha     idealized), 

32. 
Virgin  Mary,   169. 

War,  and  non-atman,    194;   is  evil, 
205;    not   necessarily   evil,    211. 


Warriors,   17   (XXXIII). 

Water,   12   (XVI). 

Way,  The,  3,  6  (II),  8  (VII,  IX, 
X),  ii  (XII,  XIII,  XIV),  12 
(XVI);  Holy,  7  (IV);  seeing 
the,  12  (XVII);  attained,  12 
(XVII) ;  beyond  words  and 
expressions,  12  (XVIII);  leads 
to  the,  13  (XIX) ;  practice  not 
the,  13  (XXI);  The  essence  of 
the,  15  (XXVI);  walking  on 
the,  15  (XXVII);  Those  who 
follow  the,  15  (XXVIII);  walk 
in  the,  16  (XXX);  Those  who 
follow  the,  17,  (XXXIII);  is 
attainable,  17  (XXXIV);  to  fol- 
low the,  18  (XXXV);  under- 
stand  the,  19  (XXXVIII);  in 
accord  with,  29  (XL);  to  prac- 
tice the,  20  (XLI);  thinking  of 
the,  20  (XLI);  is  near,  89. 

Wheel  of  Dharma,  The,   4. 

"When  the  scholar  driveth  away 
sloth. .,"  131. 

"When  pulled  together,"   13   fn. 

Will,    15    (XXVIII),    16    (XXXI). 

Wind,   8    (VIII),    14    (XXV). 

Wisdom,  13  (XIX);  and  Love, 
164. 

Women,     15 (XXIX),  18  (XXXVI) 

Worry,    16    (XXXII). 

Wu,  Emperor  of  Liang,    10  fn. 

Yaksha  (a  demon),  190. 


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that  there  is  a  problem  to  be  solved;  there  must  be 
fault  somewhere  either  in  our  reasoning  or  in  our 
knowledge  of  facts.  Science  always  implies  Monism, 
i.  e.,  a  unitary  world-conception. 

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